Ferry passengers traveling to/from Orkney are facing a further fortnight of disruption due to the grounding of MV Pentalina (2008-built, IMO 9437969).
The ferry company Pentland Ferries announced that services on the route St Margaret’s Hope (South Ronaldsay Island) to Gills Bay (mainland) would be canceled up to/including Sunday, May 21st.
On Saturday, April 29th, MV Pentalina ran aground at St Margaret’s Hope, while carrying 60 passengers.
No one was hurt but the accident remains under two separate investigations conducted by the UK government organizations MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency) and MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch).
In a statement, Pentland Ferries said they were "grateful for the many expressions of concern and support following the grounding of MV Pentalina last Saturday, April 29."
"On the back of these, we would like to confirm that MCA and MAIB investigations are still ongoing.
“We regret that we are now cancelling all passenger bookings on the St Margaret’s Hope to Gills Bay route up to and including Sunday May 21. All booked passengers are being contacted directly.”
Initial reports suggest the ferry had suffered from a “sudden mechanical failure.”
Last week, ferry operator NorthLink announced it had added an extra service to its Sunday timetable in order to help with the extra passenger demand.
Every Sunday until June 25th, NorthLink will run an additional return crossing between Stromness (Orkney) and Scrabster (mainland).