mogling Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 At £10 for a pint of beer in Oslo, with the impending economic depression, how many folk in Shetland are going to be able to afford a holiday in Norway as time goes by? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suuusssiiieee Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 [quote="Kavi Ugl" In terms of the new contract(and let's be honest NorthLink will get it) why can't they leave the Pentland Firth to Mr Banks and run the Hamnavoe between Kirkwall and Aberdeen?. As i have mentioned over on the main North boat thread leaving the Pentland Firth service as a seperate contract is the way forward in terms of utilizing resources correctly. Pentland Ferries have NorthLink on the run down there so it makes sense to let them have the run as they can do it cheaper and more quickly. If they got a second ship opposite the Pentalina bingo!! Hamnavoe running to Aberdeen? not sure on that one as that would still be eating up money, i would if i had my way transfer her to the minch to run on the Stornoway - Ullapool run as the Isle of Lewis ferry is due to be replaced very soon. The Norway link is a great idea in theory sadly i can't see it happening anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 At £10 for a pint of beer in Oslo, with the impending economic depression, how many folk in Shetland are going to be able to afford a holiday in Norway as time goes by?It's not Norway I'd be heading for, but it's handier than having to head down to Newcastle or Hull to drive all the way back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandhopper Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Looking from outside Shetland the whole debate is a bit irritating. There are very good reasons why some Shetlanders were afraid about 'some reductions' with regard to NorthLink's winter time table only and now there are other folks who want to withdraw one of the two available boats for 'summer trips' to Norway. Sorry, but that does not fit together ! The only two ways out of the dilemma which I do see are: i) If it is right that the Norönna is still passing trough Yell Sound then Shetland capital together with other third party capital still working in the Faeroese boat could work together to force the company back into its original contracts. A job of lobbying KFW and others ... low chances .. but why not trying ??? Might be a 'nice' job for Tavish ... ii) The other probably working idea is a new line - Norway-Shetland-AndOn - instead of NORSHUKON ... ... simply drop out UK to offer acceptable on-route-times for Norwegian trucks out bound directly to the continent ... that could be a mixed freight-pax-service using free freight roro capacities to bring in some tourists on vacant spaces from both Norway and the continent ... opening up a completly new approach for continental tourists to Norway, too ... no forced stop-over of 4 days as on the Faero-Islands but a chance of a stop over - as long as you please (using the additional NorthLink services) on Shetland ... Low chance, too ... investment risks for an additional boat ...but why not ??? Sorry, BUT Norway and Shetland do have the money to design such a service as they would like it ... IF both of them would like to have it !!! It is a model similar to the one that failed in the combined Continent-Scotland-Shetland-Iceland service ... but a combined Norway-Shetland-Continent service has some by far higher potential. OK - an established line might try to offer some "NORSHUKON" service using a port of call in the far north of Scotland to pick up some tourists on their way home. The old DFDS-Winston Churchill did that job successfully ... ... and it would make my plannings much easier ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foords_Chocolates Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 What I think is, that no Norwegian tourist will choose the boat that takes 10 hours from a place where there is a plane that can take him to the same place in one hour ! Then you think wrong. Many trips of groups of folk came from Scandinavia so hired a minibus or large mpv in their native country, as it was cheaper than hiring one here and a lot more convenient for carrying whatever luggage they wanted and not having weight and size restrictions on their baggage. A boat is the only way, and Bergen is a good place to come from - we know, as we used to see many trips from Norway but now see them very rarely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 I know germans who've given up coming to shetland, as it's now so difficult, too many ferries and trains. But still I ask what is the preoccupation with Bergen? yes there are traditional links, but still bergen especially is such a long way to travel, road, train or ferry to any where useful. Stavanger or Kristiansand surely would be far more useful, but please god not Kristiansund as John White was planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 I think todays piece in the Shetland News about a potential replacement for the Clare is the closest we've come to a possible Norway link yet... http://www.shetlandmarine.com/2010/08%20Shipping/NorthLink%20investigates%20ro-pax%20service.htm It's the only way Northlink could possibly provide a service to Bergen and while it may not be up to the standard of service that Smyril provided, it'd do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted August 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 Yes, and incredibly the online petition itself is coming towards 1000. Has anybody seen the paper ones that have been placed out?. I presume that before NorthLink have made known that they are "in negotiations"(even if they sound a note of caution) on this particular ship that the deal is coming to a conclution?. I guess they would have played it down or dampened it very quickly if it was not the case?. But I do have a vague memory that previous enquiries/negotiations on a/the vessel to replace the Hascosay fell through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddrun Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 Then you think wrong. Many trips of groups of folk came from Scandinavia so hired a minibus or large mpv in their native country, as it was cheaper than hiring one here and a lot more convenient for carrying whatever luggage they wanted and not having weight and size restrictions on their baggage. Well, there is one thing I know; hire a car in Norway is twice the price of hire a car in Shetland !I know that because we hired a car for a week in Shetland a couple of weeks ago, and my sister in law hired one for a week in Norway a couple of weeks before that. !Then would come the cost of ferry....And If you don't live vey near Bergen, driving to that place from whereever, includes awful roads and ferrys, and maybe a stay overnight somewhere, that can be more expensive than taking the plane to Bergen. Bergen has easy flight connections from most places in south Norway (Trondheim and south).I know this too, because I've done it....And you have to stay very long in Shetland or Norway if you need more than 20kg luggage pr person Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skunnered Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 ...but please god not Kristiansund as John White was planning.What's wrong with Kristiansund? This is a genuine question as I don't know anything about the place. I believe that John White's proposal was driven mainly by cargo rather than passengers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer21 Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 Kristiansund is a lovely place i went offshore from there 4 weeks ago and had 3 days there waiting to leave, we had 27degrees and really is very beautiful but flight connections are not so great from there and i know having worked there back and fore for last few years. but its small compared with bergen or aberdeen a lot smaller! but if anyone goes there i suggest unkles and frigatten for beer and say you work offhore you will get it at offshore rate (cheaper) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 If there is a genuine commercial demand for a Lerwick--Bergen service in summer why have the Norwegian companies who operate the Hurtigruten (and I am sorry if my spelling is wrong) had a look at running the service?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddrun Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 ^^You said something there.................................They are going up to Svalbard, so why not Shetland ?????PS: Your spelling is correct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Yes, and incredibly the online petition itself is coming towards 1000. I find petitions like these an interesting thing. If approached I would sign it as I like the idea of a Shetland - Norway link. Would I use it? Probably not. I am sure there are many who are the same, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted August 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Min, min, get it signed and get ower tae Norway as soon as du can!. Du dusna ken what du's missing!. Back to the proposed Norway link what I heard at the ferries review(sorry debacle) last night is that as things stand the ferry subsidy can't be used on an "external" route i.e. outwith "scottish waters" so it needs to be able to stand on its own two feet but there is nothing in the contract that prevents NorthLink(or whoever) from doing a Norway service. However, there was a strong feeling among some at last night's meeting that the Scottish Government could, if they were willing, write the contract to include or make provision for a link to Norway. What I've also heard on the grapevine is that there is a lot of oil related cargo that needs to get to Aberdeen from Norway(and vice versa?) and this is what NorthLink have been looking at in terms of establishing a sea link . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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