Shetland’s inter island ferry service to Yell and Whalsay is returning to normal after a week of disruption caused by a fault on a single vessel.
The engineering fault, which had put the main Whalsay ferry Linga out of action since Sunday, meant a rocky start for the council’s new electronic booking system on Yell Sound.
Both services are now back to normal after a Danish specialist resolved the Linga’s problem, allowing the vessel to return for the 5.45pm Whalsay run yesterday.
Trouble began on Sunday when Shetland Islands Council pulled Linga out of service after an intermittent fault with one of its three generators got worse.
To compensate Whalsay’s second ferry Hendra took over Linga’s schedule, and Fivla was brought in from Yell Sound to take on Hendra’s role.
SIC ferries manager Colin Manson said the council’s new cost-saving electronic booking system had been due to start operating on Yell Sound on Monday, having already taken 1,200 bookings on Whalsay during the previous two weeks.
However, the system’s introduction was postponed with the change in vessels, as crews had to individually manage deck space on each sailing to ensure as many vehicles as possible could board.