Highlands and Islands MSP Tim Eagle is pledging to pressure the Scottish Government to ensure plans are in place to secure the Sound of Harris ferry service for the future. The Sound of Harris service, which runs from Leverburgh in Harris, to Berneray, provides a vital life-line link to communities in the Western Isles.
Mr Eagle, the Scottish Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Security for Rural Affairs, submitted a series of written parliamentary questions, with the Scottish Government confirming the service is continuing to get busier.
He said: “The response to one of my questions confirms what many residents have been telling me about increasing passenger numbers on the Sound of Harris service, which is as a direct result of the new Benbecula to Stornoway air service.
“My concern is that the MV Loch Portain, which services the route, is now twenty-one years old and has strictly limited carrying capacity.
“And given the Sound if Harris requires a special vessel with a shallow draught to ride above moving sands and rocks, replacing it will require a similarly configured ferry. That places a limit on how large a replacement ferry could be. So it’s quite possible we may find that two ships will be required for the service, if it is to meet growing demand.
“Given our past experience of failures in ferry procurement I want to make sure that this route, which is more important than ever, is as future-proofed as it can be. And that’s why we need to place pressure on ministers to ensure that provision is made in a timely and cost-effective manner. There must not be a repeat of the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa fiasco.”