Guest Anonymous Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 But, if I'm proved wrong then I'll hold my hands up and admit it!. Don't you mean.. Your 'wings'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 Hahahaha!. Yes, I do - twit-awoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooney1 Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Personally I would like to see P&O back. But whoever gets it, has to keep these boats don't they? I don't know the ins and outs, bit P&O didn't seem to hemorrhage money like NorthLink do. Freight - when P&O had it and the freight (2002), you could ship a parcel under 10Kg for £3, take it back for £5. It's at least 4 or 5 times that now. Granted fuel has gone up, and freight was put out to third parties such as Northwards, but why this much? Is this the reason we have these Island surcharges imposed on deliveries now? Passenger fairs - I'm no expert, but when P&O had it their trip base rate was higher, and cabin rate lower, which to me makes more sense. With NorthLink a cabin is £60 and the base fair £15 to Orkney, £23 to Aberdeen. So people go without cabins and for Orkney you don't need one, so how much is that really covering...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medziotojas Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Massive ferry fares hike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I don't think a new company is locked into the ships. They're owned by the Royal bank of Scotland and leased to NorthLink so in theory a new operator could use/source their own ships which might even be cheaper than the RBS lease agreement and thus help them to put in a better bid... . I still see no point in thundering to Orkney 3 times a week so remove that and there would be no need for these existing ships..... I'd like to see SeaCargo get it because at least there might be the possibility of a Norway link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciseman Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I'd like to see SeaCargo get it because at least there might be the possibility of a Norway link. A link to Norway would be great but extremly unlikely. Simply not enough freight and passenger numbers - We produce and export very little that they need, and anything we need would be too expensive to buy and import from Norway. Also the very high harbour charges at Lerwick was a big factor in the demise of the previous service by Smyril. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I still see no point in thundering to Orkney 3 times a week so remove that and there would be no need for these existing ships..... From a Shetland perspective there isn't much need, though I believe some people take advantage of it for regular weekends in Orkney. The main reason for going via Orkney is the amount of freight that goes between there and Aberdeen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I don't think a new company is locked into the ships. They're owned by the Royal bank of Scotland and leased to NorthLink Didn't Calmac buy out RBS in 2006? I remember something about RBS getting out but Wikipedia's a bit vague on the details.. Anyone remember the right story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icepick239 Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Moan, Moan, Moan at P&O..Moan, Moan, Moan at Northlink..Does this not tell you something about certain people in the Shetlink Community? Oh! and we never mention the Norrona, do we Sanjay.. Have you noticed, that when the weather gets colder and snow is imminent - that icepick239 really starts to get into full stride again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I'm not 100% sure about the ownership of the ships but that was my hidmist understanding of it. It is true that there is very little cargo to go between Shetland and Norway but I have heard that there is a lot of oil cargo that moves between Aberdeen and Stavanger which could be put onto trailers rather than having to hire a whole supply ship. If anybody can make it work, the Norwegians can. I'm not moaning against anybody and I wasn't a lover of P&O but it was very poor how they were chucked out and NorthLink's unwillingness to even try a summer link irks me(I know they blame the contract but my guess is that's a convienient excuse). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 It is true that there is very little cargo to go between Shetland and Norway but I have heard that there is a lot of oil cargo that moves between Aberdeen and Stavanger which could be put onto trailers rather than having to hire a whole supply ship. If anybody can make it work, the Norwegians can. I'm not moaning against anybody and I wasn't a lover of P&O but it was very poor how they were chucked out and NorthLink's unwillingness to even try a summer link irks me(I know they blame the contract but my guess is that's a convienient excuse). Are you saying instead of a bulk/container carrier, put all the oil products onto lorries, ship them to Shetland and then send the same ship to Norway, sounds very expensive to me. What would be in it for the Norwegians? If the contract will not let Northlink do the run, then the excuse is convenient, even more so as it is the truth. How much do you expect me to pay for all of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Didn't Calmac buy out RBS in 2006? I remember something about RBS getting out but Wikipedia's a bit vague on the details.. Anyone remember the right story? From this page http://www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk/northlink.asp In July 2006 the contract transferred to NorthLink Ferries Ltd, a new company wholly owned subsidiary of previously dormant company David MacBrayne Ltd, whose sole shareholder is Scottish Ministers. David MacBrayne Ltd now own NorthLink Ferries Ltd and remains in the ownership of Scottish Ministers, as does Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Freight - when P&O had it and the freight (2002), you could ship a parcel under 10Kg for £3, take it back for £5. It's at least 4 or 5 times that now. Granted fuel has gone up, and freight was put out to third parties such as Northwards, but why this much? Is this the reason we have these Island surcharges imposed on deliveries now? Passenger fairs - I'm no expert, but when P&O had it their trip base rate was higher, and cabin rate lower, which to me makes more sense. With NorthLink a cabin is £60 and the base fair £15 to Orkney, £23 to Aberdeen. So people go without cabins and for Orkney you don't need one, so how much is that really covering...? I think people always look back fondly. I remember going on the P&O boats as a child for a trip north. What I remember about the trip is:* Lots of very drunk people * The smell. The ship did smell. Not particularly badly, just very must and old. Sort-of damp.* The noise. The P&O boats were so much more noisy I think that the northlink service is excellent. People like to moan about it, however, I find it amazing that the average cost for an over night trip is £30. Granted, it doesn't include a cabin, but it is still cheap. I think that you are wrong saying that raising the base rate would be a good idea. As a lifeline service they need to keep the base cost as low as they can. Personally, I think whoever takes on the service needs to have a good look at it. WiFi should be charged for, and bar prices raised. I also think that public showers should be installed for non-cabin users. I also think that the boat should sail between Sumbrugh and Wick. In summer months they need to operate Sumburugh to Rosyth (for tourists). Someone also stated that P&O didn't loose money like Northlink does. I think that the main issue here is that both costs have increased and that that we didn't have the access to knowledge back then as we do now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 I'm not an expert on the issue but from what I can tell, instead of the oil companies having to charter an oil supply ship to transport a few containers of stuff from Norway to Scotland for *5-6000* thousand pounds per day it could be stuck on the back of a trailer and transported to Scotland via Shetland for, say, £1500. Thus, it saves the oil companies money. * = suggested charter cost. The more freight that can be carried equals more revenue which may lead to less of a subsidy which means at least you might have to pay less!. But I suppose the reality is there will always need to be a subsidy of some kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 My last trip on the Clair cost me over £50 each way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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