Council / Saturday ferry timetable ‘inadequate’, councillor warns
A NORTH Isles councillor has called for a consultation to be carried out on the Saturday ferry timetable linking Yell, Unst and Fetlar after congestion on the service following last week’s fire in the engine room of the Daggri.
Ryan Thomson, who also chairs the council’s environment and transport committee, said the difficulties highlighted that the timetable is “inadequate”.
He has requested that Shetland Islands Council undertakes a consultation with community councils in Yell, Unst and Fetlar to review the Saturday timetable.
While it was taken out of service, the Bluemull Sound – linking Yell, Unst and Fetlar – was reduced to a single vessel service on a Saturday timetable while its usual ferry Bigga covered on the Yell Sound route.
Capacity issues were exacerbated as the Daggri’s sister ship Dagalien, one of the council’s largest vessels, was already out of service having a refit.
During the disruption the Yell Sound routes were covered on a normal timetable with reduced capacity using the Bigga and the relief ferry Fivla.
On the day of the fire a shuttle service was provided using the Fivla between Toft and Yell.
Thomson praised the ferry crews for containing the fire without any danger to the public or staff, and for the way they dealt with subsequent congestion.
But the councillor said he has “requested to the director of infrastructure that we undertake a review of the decisions made to see if, all be it unlikely, such a similar occurrence were to happen again, if there is anything we would and could do differently”.
“The congestion across both Yell Sound and Bluemull Sound last week was unprecedented,” Thomson said.
“The ferry crews did an excellent job, and ran a shuttle service whenever possible. I have received nothing but positive feedback for the job they did in difficult circumstances.
Become a supporter of Shetland News
“However, this sort of incident highlights the fragility of the internal ferry service and how much Unst, Yell and Fetlar residents and businesses depend on the bigger vessels.
“We are at peak capacity on both Bluemull and Yell Sound with all our largest vessels available and in service. Equally so on the Whalsay route, particularly at bottleneck times.
“In particular, I had a lot of feedback on the inadequacy of the Saturday timetable, in particular frequency and a lack of connections with the Yell Sound ferry.
“I believe in consultation with the Unst, Yell and Fetlar community councils. A redesigned Saturday timetable for Bluemull Sound could be achieved which would benefit all islands at no extra cost to the council purse.”
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.