Guest Anonymous Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 Norweigen wages more than make up for Norweigen prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 better still Bergen, never closed for weather much nicer city excelent onward flights, nicer folk, better shops, sports bar of the square reasonable price for a pint. after spending time there I can not understand anyone wanting to go to Aberdeen or anywhere else in Scotland for that matter.Oh yeah stunning eye candy, better scenery, aquarium, museums, history etc etc Never a truer word but sadly too many Shetlanders have been brainwashed and think that there's no life beyond sooth..... i doot the flotilla of sailing boats that go back n fore to Bergen says something? there is no question that Norway is much better run and more user friendly country as our "friends" in the south Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 From the Northlink websiteM.V.Hjaltland Due adverse weather conditions and in the interest of passenger comfort and safety the sailing from Lerwick to Aberdeen at 19:00 on Tuesday 09th November has been cancelled.Would it not have been a bit more accurate to admit that they did not have a ship available to make this crossing?. na , thats too much like bein open , honest n trustworthy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ll Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 Surely the best 'plan b' would be to have a ro-ro ramp at Peterhead, where there are no bad weather closures. It would also save iro. 3,000 litres of marine gas oil per vessel, per sailing going there. The Norrona has also made a few runs to Peterhead and she appears much larger than any of the Northlink Ferries. Its obvious you dont have the slightest clue what your on about ll Peterhead is bad enough to get into with a fishing boat with any weather and a following sea i have been there many time with fishing boats and know exacly what like it is..It would be a death trap with the Northlink ships even in a force 7 from the East trying to get in there... Agreed, it is a bit of a hairy approach coming into Peterhead, but as you get closer to the breakwaters which are nearly a quarter of a kilometer (nearly double Aberdeen's narrowest part of the entry) apart, things gradually appear less daunting than expectations earlier on an approach would suggest. Once you are in past the breakwaters, you are in the harbour and do not have a narrow 700 metre long bottleneck to go through to get into the harbour. In fishing boats coming into PD they are broaching and surfing a bit in the conditions mentioned by glipper, but on larger ships whilst entering at a controlled speed, there is less chance of being thrown wildly off course or broaching. I have gone into PD on many occasions on both fishing and oil vessels when Aberdeen harbour was closed. If you look at Peterhead harbour arrivals when Aberdeen is closed for extended periods 'glipper', you will see that most other Aberdeen harbour traffic does likewise. Peterhead does not have much to offer visitors compared to Aberdeen, but as a plan b, that can be entered maybe an hour and a half earlier on a poor day (compensating for around an hours extra drive South), it may prove to be more appealing than rolling around the habitual port of Aberdeen if it is closed to vessels. It is a bit like using Scatsta instead of Sumburgh in times of fog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 One other thing to help the use of PD would be to lay on coaches of which George Mair has ample lying idle to bus all the foot pasengers to aberdeen train station on the days that it was nesesary to use the alternate.it would probably be worth the CT to build the link span in PD considering the amount of business that is lost to shetland every winter since northlink took over the route.i dont export anything from Shetland except myself but imports not getting here when they should have cost my business thousands over the last few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 I think 99 times out of 100, Aberdeen is the right port of call for the north boats. Generally speaking it's not usually a problem. Calling at Peterhead or Leith all year round would have its headaches. I think a ramp in Peterhead should be considered for the several times a year that they'd have to change port. They don't need huge terminal facilities, just a ramp. And as someone has already mentioned, if they knew Aberdeen was closed they could call in to Peterhead without having to linger outside the harbour, and probably have everyone bussed down to Aberdeen by around about the same time the boat was due to dock. You'd also not have such a wasted cost of repositioning the boat when things like this happens. I'm guessing the Hjaltland will have to sail from Rosyth to Aberdeen light ship to get back in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarhellja Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Would there be any mileage, or should that be knottage, in having the ferries sail from Grutness. This would cut out one hour. I think this probably a no-no because the depth of the water there. Just an idle early morning thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Would there be any mileage, or should that be knottage, in having the ferries sail from Grutness. This would cut out one hour. I think this probably a no-no because the depth of the water there. Just an idle early morning thought. Idle early morning thought of headlines in reply: "Helicopter misses Sumburgh and lands on helideck of Northlink ferry vessel instead" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarhellja Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 I think 99 times out of 100, Aberdeen is the right port of call for the north boats. Generally speaking it's not usually a problem. Calling at Peterhead or Leith all year round would have its headaches. I think a ramp in Peterhead should be considered for the several times a year that they'd have to change port. They don't need huge terminal facilities, just a ramp. And as someone has already mentioned, if they knew Aberdeen was closed they could call in to Peterhead without having to linger outside the harbour, and probably have everyone bussed down to Aberdeen by around about the same time the boat was due to dock. You'd also not have such a wasted cost of repositioning the boat when things like this happens. I'm guessing the Hjaltland will have to sail from Rosyth to Aberdeen light ship to get back in place. The main issue with the boats going further south is time and fuel. You all complained at the thought of an extra hour being added to the sailings - to sail to Rosyth would take at least an extra 4! You have to think of the extra fuel too - that would be added to the ticket price. Leith hasn't got the infrastructure for a ferry, and is not particularly great for car drivers. I do, however, find it funny listening to people around and about... "this is rediculous" etc. Really, how often does this happen? I found the headlines in newspapers funny too - "Journey from hell". Really? OK, folk were stuck onboard for a little longer than expected - given free cabins, free food etc. Not really hell in my opinion - inconvienient, yes. Hell? No. In terms of the journey. NorthLink travel from Lerwick to Aberdeen because of onward travel links. That being said, it would be good if they considered other options. I mentioned Sumbrugh - John O'Groats in a previous post. Much less mileage, which would no doubt be financialy 'smart' in the low season. I do think that it would be good for the tourism industry to offer a Rosyth - Kirkwall - Lerwick route in the high season and as the continental link has been ditched the facilities are ready and waiting. And this Norway talk. Do you think a ferry that has less than 90 people on it will be able to sustain itself on a route to Norway? The reason the ferries go south is because that is the place that is paying for a substantial amount for them. DO you think taxpayers south would be happy paying for a ferry between Lerwick and Norway? If you believe it to be financialy viable start the route! There is a reason why Smyril stopped coming to Lerwick.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer21 Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Norweigen wages more than make up for Norweigen prices. i never said anything about there wages i work for a norweigen company! but most shetlanders dnt earn norweigen wages so how this helps im confused? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infiltrator Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 i dont export anything from Shetland except myself but imports not getting here when they should have cost my business thousands over the last few years. Care to expand on your losses - is this fresh stuff? isn't it insured? Not being funny, just always assumed that the delays were little more than inconvience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 ultimately northlink are run by unholyrood and they really dont give a "poop" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer21 Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 ultimately northlink are run by unholyrood and they really dont give a "poop" hit the nail on the head there!! damm govt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Maybe next year Tavish will be back in government so we want to keep notes of what he says about Northlink now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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