The North Boat (Northlink ferries)

[mhutch]

no to be irksome rattling on , but MY comfort levels are much lower than everybody elses due to me bad bones , but in all fairness the balance ought to between needs and desires , a lot of folk need to catch onward travel or honour appointments and bookings even if a few hours en route are unpleasant , point being it is an island , it is the sea , and we need to cross it

[Guest Anonymous]

Each and every one of us is quite capable of looking at a weather forecast and from that deciding whether or not we wish to sail but the boats should sail anyway except when the weather is too extreme and lets be honest here there have not been that many extreme weather conditions in the last few years.

If the boats are not up to the task then the RBS should be informed that they will not be used when the contract comes up for renewal, if they are up to the task then the skipper needs to be told he will not be used when the contract comes up for renewal. if european rules are the problem then the EU needs to be told to piss off.

If you are not a good sailor then take the plane why should everyone else miss their onward connections for the sake of a passenger that should have more sense than to sail on a boat in the north sea in winter while having no sea legs.

as for the crew if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen as they say.

Northlink can't use crew safety as an excuse when you take into account the number of boats that do manage to carry on in weather conditions that northlink deem too extreme to sail in, ie a force 7-8.

 

we all have a choice on where and what jobs we do and whether or not we are fit to carry out the duties involved for the post, If the crew are not fit for purpose then they should be replaced with crew that are.

 

Who remembers Hurricane Gray and the many many nights he sailed and got through without any major dramas?

[glipper]

Your talking pure rubbish there about the crew 'bobdahog' there isnt one of them who are not fit for the job there all experienced seamen.. I think what 'JustMe' should have said they have to think about the safety and comfort of the passengers and then think off the crew and the boat...

[mhutch]

Each and every one of us is quite capable of looking at a weather forecast and from that deciding whether or not we wish to sail but the boats should sail anyway except when the weather is too extreme and lets be honest here there have not been that many extreme weather conditions in the last few years.

If the boats are not up to the task then the RBS should be informed that they will not be used when the contract comes up for renewal, if they are up to the task then the skipper needs to be told he will not be used when the contract comes up for renewal. if european rules are the problem then the EU needs to be told to piss off.

If you are not a good sailor then take the plane why should everyone else miss their onward connections for the sake of a passenger that should have more sense than to sail on a boat in the north sea in winter while having no sea legs.

as for the crew if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen as they say.

Northlink can't use crew safety as an excuse when you take into account the number of boats that do manage to carry on in weather conditions that northlink deem too extreme to sail in, ie a force 7-8.

 

we all have a choice on where and what jobs we do and whether or not we are fit to carry out the duties involved for the post, If the crew are not fit for purpose then they should be replaced with crew that are.

 

Who remembers Hurricane Gray and the many many nights he sailed and got through without any major dramas?

 

i dunna see any criticism of how the crew perform thier jobs? but i do see criticism of how northlink use thier safety as an excuse! ach weel , basic understanding of da written word

[fartypants]

, If the crew are not fit for purpose then they should be replaced with crew that are.

 

That's a bit harsh is it not its the captain of any ship who has the final decision maybe he get pressure from the head office..

[Guest Anonymous]

if it is head office that is saying not to sail then they should be barred from bidding on any future contract

[Guest Anonymous]

Nowhere have I criticized the crew but as a seaman or woman you can't turn around and say you won't do your job because the weather is a bit rough, rough weather is part and parcel of the job especially in the north sea in winter.

[JustMe]

Nowhere have I criticized the crew but as a seaman or woman you can't turn around and say you won't do your job because the weather is a bit rough, rough weather is part and parcel of the job especially in the north sea in winter.

Indeed not but there does come a time when it is more prudent for a vessel to remain in port. Comparing Northlink with the Streamline Shipping boat seems to show that Streamline will sail when Northlink will not but I wonder if there is a reason for that. Streamline have a crane loaded container ship while the Northlink has ro-ro ships. Is this a reason for the apparent difference in performance?.

[mhutch]

Nowhere have I criticized the crew but as a seaman or woman you can't turn around and say you won't do your job because the weather is a bit rough, rough weather is part and parcel of the job especially in the north sea in winter.

Indeed not but there does come a time when it is more prudent for a vessel to remain in port. Comparing Northlink with the Streamline Shipping boat seems to show that Streamline will sail when Northlink will not but I wonder if there is a reason for that. Streamline have a crane loaded container ship while the Northlink has ro-ro ships. Is this a reason for the apparent difference in performance?.

 

knowing a few of the Shetland based crew i would say they were very professional and very able mariners, as you would expect from an island community evolved from centuries of sea faring , what bugs me is how the gricey reeins of a few grind the whole ferry service to a hit n miss shambles, northlinks sly excuses fool nobody , if they were making big returns on winter saillings it would be a whole different ball game

[Guest Anonymous]

It seems I am not alone with my opinion

 

http://www.shetlandmarine.com/2011/08%20Shipping/NorthLink%20slammed%20for%20freight%20problems.htm

[Wagon Wheel]

Somebody is at fault. Maybe the masters, maybe the heads in an office or maybe the people who bought these boats. The harbours haven't been full of fishing boats, they have been fishing away then phoning ashore to see if there is a ferry and if not, heading to Aberdeen or Peterhead themselves in boats probably 1/4 of the size.

Salmon and mussel boats harvest away and have to hope there is a boat.

If these boats are deemed unsafe by their masters in a force 8 or 9 they must be replaced imediately.

[Longdog]

According to the statement on Radio Shetland this evening in the last year the boat has sailed something like 96% of sailings and 82% were on time.

 

Still annoying if you've appointments or connections to make but it seems pretty good to me given the seas we get at times.

 

Always assuming those figures are accurate and not massaged to suit in some statistical way.

 

I can understand the frieght issues being of big concern, particularly for the like of fresh producers up here...

[Ghostrider]

According to the statement on Radio Shetland this evening in the last year the boat has sailed something like 96% of sailings and 82% were on time.

 

Still annoying if you've appointments or connections to make but it seems pretty good to me given the seas we get at times.

 

Always assuming those figures are accurate and not massaged to suit in some statistical way.

 

Of course they're massaged, at the very least lets hear the figures on a six month breakdown, with mid-April and mid-September breaks.

 

I'd put money on the fact that the April - September ones would be very near 100% for both, but the September - April ones would both go crashing down. Perishables are a year round cargo though, and will rot the same in January as July. Obviously winter weather will make for delays and cancellations, but Northlink have been on the route far more than long enough now to know what its like. They need to offer a service that they can realistically deliver with the boats they have, which necessiates allowances being made for playing catch up after weather disruptions.

 

This happens more often than not when annual survey/refit comes around, they pull out one boat, and the remaining boats just aren't enough to cope if anything else occurs to jolt them out of sailing sync.

 

The obvious answer is for the contract to stipulate that Northlink charters in a boat to cover for the withdrawn boats during the survey/refit period, but either Northlink or Holyrood are too cheap/greedy/gormless etc etc to take that road.

[suuusssiiieee]

Taking the Helliar today as an example your obviously going to have a late arrival in Lerwick if you sail from Hatston gone 3am in the morning, far far to late to guarantee a prompt arrival in Lerwick, even worse at this time of the year.

 

Solution?, well a blindingly obvious one is get the freight vessel turned round at Hatston earlier, and if you have to leave Aberdeen sooner rather than 4pm at present then do it....simples!

[Far Haaf]

How many of the experts on this forum, if they were given the position of master on these vessels, would depart in some of the weather that has been seen in the north sea lately?

 

I suspect that very few of the keyboard captains would venture out of their computer chair, or their front door, never mind set sail in the north sea....

 

It would be great if the moaning element on Shetlink could put themselves, even for a few minutes, in the place of the people who have to make the decisions whether or not to set sail.

I would imagine that this "moaning element" are the same silly bar stewards who would be spewing their muggies up before they left the harbour, and then claiming compensation from Northlink for their discomfort.

 

Shetlink..... Complaining for the sake of it.

 

Get a bloody life....