Questions need to be answered across the board on safe and reliable ferry provision- OIC Leader

Council Leader James Stockan has said that questions need to be answered across the board around last night's  grounding of the MV Pentalina off of St Margaret's Hope - and the ongoing provision of safe and reliable ferry services across the Pentland Firth.

Councillor Stockan met with the Scottish Government's Transport Minister Kevin Stewart MSP this afternoon, to discuss what the Scottish Government will do to ensure there is enough capacity for passengers and freight across the Firth whilst Pentland Ferries are out of action - and his ongoing concerns around the use of the Pentalina on the Gills Bay route, over the Alfred, which has been contracted by CalMac to cover routes on the West Coast.

"The response to last night's incident was, as ever, phenomenal - showing once again how in tough times we pull together as a community to react quickly. We are all relieved that this was not a more serious incident for those passengers.

"There are a number of questions that need to be answered, and that is a call coming not just from myself, but from our wider community and many of the agencies and stakeholders involved in this - how can we be assured that ferry services across the Firth are safe and reliable.

"My priority as political leader of the local authority is to ensure that Orkney's voice is heard, that its needs are met and that every effort is made to ensure that we can maintain the same level of a safe and reliable service across the Pentland Firth, as we come into the very busy May to September season.  At this point we really have no idea how long the Pentalina may be out of action - and I have asked for assurance from the Transport Minister that Orkney does not suffer as a result.

"Wider questions also need to be asked across the board around why we've ended up in the position of one of our ferries being taken away from our community to plug a gap elsewhere - whilst Orcadians and visitors to our community have been left with a vessel, which whilst it was just last week certified as safe by the MCA, is clearly not without its issues.

"There is no doubt that something is far wrong with ferry provision across Scotland - whether that be on the West coast or here in Orkney, in terms of the issues we are having with our internal ferry services and the Government's inaction around this. The situation with taking the Alfred from here has effectively jut moved a problem from one island area to another - and at the moment it is Orkney that is suffering."