Quiet Waters to be brought ashore

THE SHETLAND whitefish trawler Quiet Waters which ran aground near Hamnavoe village in early May is being taken ashore for recycling and disposal.

Concern had been raised by the community and the salmon farming industry that the vessel was breaking up and could create a hazard.

Following some rough weather last month the vessel, high and dry on Atla Holm, started disintegrating with debris floating in the vicinity.

Quiet Waters ran aground in the early hours of 8 May when it was heading for Scalloway harbour. Six fishermen were airlifted to safety.

On Monday, Lerwick based marine engineering company Ocean Kinetics confirmed that they had been given the contract to dismantle the 22 metre wooden vessel.

The company’s managing director John Henderson said that the plan was to cut the vessel into pieces and then bring them ashore to Blacksness Pier, in Scalloway, for further work.

“We are cutting the vessel down into four pieces at the moment, and then we will hopefully be able to hire the dredger that works in Scalloway harbour at the moment, to drag it of the rocks and lift the pieces onto the barge and take it to the pier in Scalloway,” Mr Henderson said.

“We will then break her up, put the scrap metal for recycling, put the wood for burning, and take what is left over for landfill.”