Transport / Sales of 3,000 sheep postponed after Helliar trapped in Leith
THE SALES of around 3,000 sheep had to be shifted this week after the Helliar was stopped from leaving dry dock by a huge Chinese cargo ship.
The Helliar was only released after pressure from a Scottish Government minister and Transport Scotland, Shetland Livestock Marketing Group chairman Cecil Eunson has said.
Eunson said Shetland Marts had to make the decision to cancel Thursday’s sale after the freight vessel was left stranded.
The Helliar was prevented from leaving dry dock in Leith for two days, missing runs on Wednesday and Thursday night, because of the Xiang Taikou unloading components for the offshore wind industry.
She returned to Aberdeen yesterday, and will sail from Aberdeen to Lerwick this afternoon.
Eunson said that Shetland Marts had taken the early decision to cancel Thursday’s sale on Tuesday morning, after being contacted by NorthLink about the issue.
He said they had to relocate bookings for around 3,000 sheep to later sales dates.
“During the discussions on Tuesday, NorthLink also highlighted there was a possibility there may be no freight boat on Saturday, unless the boat was released,” he said.
“This would have meant the marts having to cancel another sale.
“This is totally unacceptable, especially when we have lovely calm weather for the time of year.”
Eunson said Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart immediately raised the issue with agriculture and connectivity minister Jim Fairlie.
Fairlie took action alongside Transport Scotland, Eunson said, and put pressure on Leith Ports to ensure the Helliar was released as soon as possible.
“We would like to thank Beatrice Wishart for her initial prompt action and the follow up work from Jim Fairlie and his team,” he added.
Shetland’s seafood industry had also urged the government to intervene after the news of the Helliar being stuck in Leith.
“Despite NorthLink Ferries best efforts, Forth Ports clearly do not appreciate how fundamental this vessel is to Shetland and how vital it is that our perishable product reaches the seafood industry’s national and international markets on time,” Seafood Shetland chief executive Ruth Henderson said.
“Holding the Helliar has serious financial implications for both suppliers and their customers.”
She added: “As always, we are grateful to the team at NorthLink Ferries for all their hard work in maintaining the best possible service, despite such setbacks.”
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