Sailings by Pentland Ferries suspended for a further five days
There will be no sailings on Pentland Ferries' route between Gills Bay and St Margaret’s Hope for a further five days following last month's grounding of the Pentalina in Orkney.
The announcement means services are cancelled up to and including Friday, May 26. The company says all booked passengers are being contacted directly.
The Pentalina is scheduled to go into dry dock in Birkenhead on Merseyside for further investigation and repair.
Pentland Ferries' managing director Helen Inkster said: “We would like to assure customers that we are continuing to work extremely hard to minimise the disruption and hope to have the MV Pentalina back in service as soon as possible.”
Rival firm NorthLink has introduced additional services on its Stromness/Scrabster route “to help bolster the travel link between Orkney and the Scottish mainland”.
The Pentalina went aground close to St Margaret’s Hope on April 29 with 60 passengers on board. Nobody was injured in the incident.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Marine Accident Investigation Branch are investigating.
The Pentalina was issued with a safety certificate following surveys on April 18 and returned to the Pentland Firth after the Alfred had been loaned to CalMac in a £9 million deal to serve the Clyde and Hebrides network.
