Extra capacity on NorthLink ferries is being investigated after the MV Pentalina ran aground on the Orkney coast at the weekend.
Pentland Ferries has cancelled its sailings between St Margaret’s Hope and Gills Bay until further notice after the emergency, which is believed to have been sparked by a fire.
The incident means capacity on Orkney sailings has been dramatically reduced with six daily sailings to the mainland lost, increasing to eight from Thursday when the summer timetable had been due to start.
It has sparked concerns about the impact on islanders travelling to the mainland as well as freight transport.
Extra NorthLink services?
MV Pentalina only received a safety certificate on April 18 with Pentland Ferries bringing it back into use to cover for MV Alfred, which is currently on lease to the Scottish Government to plug gaps in the CalMac network.
Today Transport Minister Kevin Stewart told the BBC there was no “recall” option on the contract to return the ferry to service in Orkney.
However, he added that from today, a third return service on the NorthLink route between Stromness and Scrabster has been introduced due to the start of the summer timetable.
Mr Stewart has revealed talks are already under way to investigate whether there is capacity to add a fourth daily return service.
He told BBC Radio Scotland: “When MV Alfred ran aground in previous years we managed to up the NorthLink services from Scrabster to Stromness to four and that is something we will look at as we move forward, I said to the leader of Orkney Islands Council.
“As well as that we would look to increase NorthLink capacity from Aberdeen to the Northern Isles.
“I think that additional (third) service coming into play is really helpful and we need to continue to review that to ensure Orcadians are well served.”
What happened on board the MV Pentalina?
Emergency services rescued 60 people from the MV Pentalina after it ran aground just 300ft from its sailing to St Margaret’s Hope at about 7.30pm on Saturday.
RNLI lifeboats were used to transport people to shore with no serious injuries reported.
There have been reports of a fire on board the ferry and some “minor water ingress”, believed to have been caused by a sudden mechanical failure of some kind.
Investigators are due to arrive in Orkney today to begin an assessment to determine the cause.
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