Northlink cutbacks

[Tugmistress]

Thought you might find this interesting if you haven't seen it already?
the below is cut and paste from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport/ferries-ports-canals/14342/NIS

Northlink Ferries Ltd are currently operating ferry services between the Scottish mainland and Orkney and Shetland. The routes operated are Lerwick/Kirkwall to Aberdeen, and Scrabster to Stomness. Northlink Ferries were successful in securing the contract to operate from July 2006 to June 2012. Northlink Ferries Ltd provides facilities for passenger, cars, commercial vehicles and freight.

The views of Orkney and Shetland communities are now being sought as part of a study into potential cost reduction measures on the Northern Isles ferry services currently provided by NorthLink.

The study will consider the potential impacts the proposed changes may have on businesses, organisations and individuals and will be carried out by transport and economic consultants BM Consulting and Reference Economic Consultants who will shortly contact a range of ferry users and other interested parties for their views. This work will be overseen by a working group drawn from the Scottish Government, Orkney Islands Council, ZetTrans and NorthLink Ferries.

The study follows the commitment given by Ministers earlier this year to carry out further work to explore options to achieve savings on the services.

The work will be carried out over the next few weeks and the working group will report back to Ministers in the autumn. People can also contribute their views by email to nifconsultation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or by writing to: Scottish Government, Ferries Division, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ.

The deadline for making comments to the Scottish Government is Tuesday 31 August 2010.

Northern Isles Ferry Services Study - Options

The options identified by the working group for consideration in the study are:

A1: Reduce fuel consumption by slowing the vessels down (2 engine running) on the Lerwick-Kirkwall-Aberdeen route all year round or only during “low season” (late October to mid-March). This will mean either departing up to 2 hours earlier or arriving up to 2 hours later both north and south bound and at the intermediate calls at Kirkwall. The use of the additional engines would still be available in case of delays or when sea and weather conditions require them.

A2: Tie-up MV Hjaltland or MV Hrossey for the “low season” and run 3 North (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) and 3 South (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) sailings per week on the Lerwick-Kirkwall-Aberdeen service. This is the timetable that currently operates during the annual maintenance period (for about 6 weeks). Freight ship frequency is increased during this period.

A3: As A2, but using the single passenger vessel more intensively on the Lerwick-Kirkwall-Aberdeen route, operating 5 north bound and 5 south bound sailings per week maintaining the Friday and Sunday calls at Kirkwall. The timetable includes a mixture of daytime and overnight sailings and would be integrated with the freight ships timetable. The following is an indicative timetable:


Daytime Overnight
Monday Lerwick (1900) – Aberdeen (0700)
Tuesday Aberdeen (0900) – Lerwick (1900) Lerwick (2100) – Aberdeen (0700)
Wednesday Aberdeen (0900) – Lerwick (1900) Lerwick (2100) – Aberdeen (0700)
Thursday Aberdeen (1900) – Lerwick (0730)
Friday Lerwick (1730) – Kirkwall (2300) – Aberdeen (0700)
Saturday Aberdeen (0900) – Lerwick (1900) Lerwick (1900) – Aberdeen (0700)
Sunday Aberdeen (1700) – Kirkwall (2300) – Lerwick (0730)

A4: Extend sailing time on freight ship between Aberdeen and Lerwick (northbound only) to reduce fuel all year. Departure time would remain as 18.00 with the arrival time extended to 12.00 noon the following day.

A5: Extend crossing time to save fuel on direct services between Aberdeen and Lerwick (both directions) all year. Once out of port, Hjaltland and Hrossey can regularly operate for much of the voyage on a single engine in order to maximise fuel efficiency. Increasing the potential for using this fuel efficient mode of operation for longer would mean direct services between Aberdeen and Lerwick would now depart at 17.00 instead of 19.00 to maintain the current arrival times. The additional engines would still be available in case of delays or when sea and weather conditions require them.

A6: Remove 11.00 sailing from Stromness and the 13.15 sailing from Scrabster during the low season (late October to mid-March).

A7: Withdraw some Kirkwall calls from the Lerwick-Kirkwall-Aberdeen route. The starting point would be to look at withdrawing the services with lowest utilisation.

A8: Review potential to apply different levels of fare increases to different user groups i.e. differentiate between Island residents and visitors and set different rates to cars, cabins, freight, high/mid/low season etc. Historically fare increases have been a fixed percentage applied to all fares. If more revenue is received from users of the services, then the pressure for service changes to be made can be reduced.

[ducati]

Just for my clarification, the government owned Ferry company, that was merged with the other government owned ferry company (to save costs) and then made to go through a massively expensive tender process to retain the routes for which it owns the ferry terminals and all the vessels, is now being asked to run even more inefficiently (they usually build ships with the required number of engines) presumably to pay for the massive spend required to win the tender for which there was no competition.

Now on a completely unrelated subject, we as a nation need to save money. What to do, what to do? Oh, I know, kick out those mega idiots in Holyrood! [disgust]

[captain chaos]

With millions of £s of our money subsidising Northlink it would save us and the Scottish Government millions to close the Scrabster/Kirkwall route and let Pentland Ferries take over. At least they dont soak up millions of public £s

[seadog]

With millions of £s of our money subsidising Northlink it would save us and the Scottish Government millions to close the Scrabster/Kirkwall route and let Pentland Ferries take over. At least they dont soak up millions of public £s

I think you will find that there is no Scrabster/Kirkwall route and never has been;)

[sids]

I think you will find that there is no Scrabster/Kirkwall route and never has been;)

But is there a subsidy?

And if so, why?

[gollach]

Is there any mention of the RET or is that only for the benefit of the Western Isles?

[sids]

RET or is that only for the benefit of the Western Isles?

I belive so. Orkney doesn't need it because they like staying there.

[Tugmistress]

Sids,
I'm not in to the politics of it all but i would assume the subsidy exists as it is a lifeline service and never going to make a profit but the service has to be there for the islanders and the mainland alike and people still have to have their wages paid.
that's my take on subsidies.

[captain chaos]

Sorry Seadog, you are correct its Scrabster to Stromness

The subsidy exists and at the last report it was around £11m for the Scrabster/Stromness service.

As to not making a profit how can Pentland ferries purchase a £18m vessel and still make a profit.

As a lifeline it wasn’t much of a lifeline when the Hamnavoe went to Norway for the week and left Pentland Ferries to provide the "lifeline" service. Seems like lifeline when it suits

As the owner of Pentland Ferries has publicly stated " if he had the same amount of subsidy as the Hamnavoe he could run the service and not charge a penny for the cross
ing"

[gollach]

As the owner of Pentland Ferries has publicly stated " if he had the same amount of subsidy as the Hamnavoe he could run the service and not charge a penny for the crossing"

And there is our answer - everyone would be happy.

[Kenn]

Thank you Tugs for posting this item.
I can appreciate that at the present every business, no matter who owns it and whether subsidised or not needs to be looking to cut costs.
Having recently been to Orkney and travelled by both The Pentalina and The Hamnavoe I know which vessel I prefer but that is merely my personal choice.
I have long wondered about the economics of the Aberdeen route although I appreciate that supplies have to be got to the islands and things exported from them however taking into account the cost of that route and the extra time involved I suspect that it could be more effective to take the shorter route to Scrabster.
Will follow this with interest.

[bagpuss]

Cuts cuts and more cuts!

if short haul air travel is to be a thing of the past- that rules out even lifeline services to and from islands.

if the Govt want to do away with subsidised ferry crossings that might mean all travel to and from Orkney might well end up via Gills- and overland.

now consider this- pregnant women in orkney and Shetland who may face complications have to travel to Aberdeen and stay there until after the birth of the baby- reduce air and overnight ferry provision and the alternative might even be to redirect them to Wick- hece need to upgrade the services.

I know the guy who owns The Linen Cupboard in Orkney prefers to drive north and use the Gills service rather than the Scrabster ferry- or the overnight route. perhaps Gills is proving that lifeline services can be done on a budget?

[sids]

If you subsidise a service/business/industry, it turns into an instrument for swallowing the subsidy.

[Tugmistress]

oh well, i guess by everyones comments on here i'd better start looking for another job for when the cuts come :(

[Happy Guy]

oh well, i guess by everyones comments on here i'd better start looking for another job for when the cuts come :(
Hmm so easy to get carried away with the economics, politics, and rhetoric in a situation like this, but forget about the people and lives affected ?

[Mystical Potato Head]

I can fully understand them looking to cancel some sailings in the low season,have been on a lot of Scrabster/Stromness crossings in December and January over the last 35 years when there have been barely a dozen passengers on board.I'm not saying that its right to cancel them but in todays current economic climate i think every company is looking at means of saving money and unfortunately the last thing on their minds is the welfare or futures of their staff who are only numbers anyway,especially if you work for a national company.

[Skerries]

Sids,
I'm not in to the politics of it all but i would assume the subsidy exists as it is a lifeline service and never going to make a profit but the service has to be there for the islanders and the mainland alike and people still have to have their wages paid.
that's my take on subsidies.

I agree with what you are saying, in part, and let's not forget that we often complain about not getting enough public money up here.

[bagpuss]

Tugmistress- the Org are a hard lot- they forget that the Northlink serivce directly impacts on your livelihood.

methinks they have rather a lot in common with the Thatcherites of the 80's- in favour of big business and keeping their own costs down- but the absence of northlink would also impact on Scrabster- and in turn on Thurso and Caithness generally. It might on the other hand send the Orkney traffic through Wick to Gills.

[orkneycadian]

oh well, i guess by everyones comments on here i'd better start looking for another job for when the cuts come :(

I'm sure Andrew would have one for you?

If, as has been suggested, he were to run 8 round trips a day, if the Scrabster route was abolished, and Burwick opened up, thats even more work for you in a day than the measely 3 round trips a day you have at the moment! No sooner will you have let the ropes go, and it'll be back again with another load of trailers! Think of all that lurvelly overtime! - Might even pay for the daily commute from Scrabster to Gills! ;)