Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 11, 2008 11:46:05 GMT -5
Issues to resolve before catamarans could be considered
by Donnie Macinnes
www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/Issues-to-resolve-before-catamarans.3851849.jp
COST, reliability and safety were three issues that Caledonian MacBrayne would look at before considering using catamaran ferries to and from the Western Isles.
CalMac's Communication Director, Hugh Dan Maclennan told the 'Gazette' this week: "We are not going to bring in a catamaran for the sake of bringing it in."
He was speaking after it was announced that a catamaran ferry was to be introduced by independent company Pentland Ferries on the Caithness to Orkney service.
"We will see what is happening in the Pentland Firth. We will try them if they are proven to work and if not, we will certainly not add them to what we have got. We have clear concerns about them and we are looking at these concerns, such as cost, reliability and safety. Fuel consumption on a catamaran is four times dearer than on a ferry," said Mr Maclennan.
He added: "If it doesn't work in the Pentland Firth, there is no point in trying it in the Minch. If it does work, we could try it."
Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil said he was pleased that CalMac were treating the issue with an open-minded approach.
"The situation on our neighbour's doorstep in the Pentland Firth will be a fairly good test case," said Mr MacNeil who pointed out that the operator there had shown some innovative ways of running ferries in Scottish waters and was not afraid to try new approaches.
He added: "Now the SNP Government has introduced RET, the length of time the journey takes will become a bigger issue, as time is money."
When Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson was asked last week about catamarans during his visit to Stornoway to announce the RET proposals, he said that people in the Western Isles knew about the weather conditions locally, adding that they could be 'exceptionally challenging'.
He pointed out, however, that catamarans had been used successfully in other areas.
The Scottish Government would always look at any proposals put before them, be it for catamarans or hovercrafts, he added.
Ends
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FERRYFAST WEB SEARCH:
CALMAC
www.calmac.co.uk/
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SCOTTISH TRANSPORT NEWS
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by Donnie Macinnes
www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/Issues-to-resolve-before-catamarans.3851849.jp
COST, reliability and safety were three issues that Caledonian MacBrayne would look at before considering using catamaran ferries to and from the Western Isles.
CalMac's Communication Director, Hugh Dan Maclennan told the 'Gazette' this week: "We are not going to bring in a catamaran for the sake of bringing it in."
He was speaking after it was announced that a catamaran ferry was to be introduced by independent company Pentland Ferries on the Caithness to Orkney service.
"We will see what is happening in the Pentland Firth. We will try them if they are proven to work and if not, we will certainly not add them to what we have got. We have clear concerns about them and we are looking at these concerns, such as cost, reliability and safety. Fuel consumption on a catamaran is four times dearer than on a ferry," said Mr Maclennan.
He added: "If it doesn't work in the Pentland Firth, there is no point in trying it in the Minch. If it does work, we could try it."
Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil said he was pleased that CalMac were treating the issue with an open-minded approach.
"The situation on our neighbour's doorstep in the Pentland Firth will be a fairly good test case," said Mr MacNeil who pointed out that the operator there had shown some innovative ways of running ferries in Scottish waters and was not afraid to try new approaches.
He added: "Now the SNP Government has introduced RET, the length of time the journey takes will become a bigger issue, as time is money."
When Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson was asked last week about catamarans during his visit to Stornoway to announce the RET proposals, he said that people in the Western Isles knew about the weather conditions locally, adding that they could be 'exceptionally challenging'.
He pointed out, however, that catamarans had been used successfully in other areas.
The Scottish Government would always look at any proposals put before them, be it for catamarans or hovercrafts, he added.
Ends
_____________________
FERRYFAST WEB SEARCH:
CALMAC
www.calmac.co.uk/
TRANSPORT SCOTLAND
www.transportscotland.gov.uk/
SCOTTISH TRANSPORT NEWS
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport