Scrabster looking to build on North Atlantic links

The operators of the newly-restored North Atlantic ferry service into Scrabster are confident the route will prove popular in both directions.

Smyril Line officials were speaking after arriving aboard the superferry Norröna from the Faroese capital, Tórshavn. It marks the launch of a 10-week summer schedule in which Scrabster is serving as the mainland Scotland link with the Faroes, Norway and Iceland.

Many local people took the opportunity to see the 40,000-tonne vessel berth for the first time at the Caithness port on Monday evening. Stormy weather in the early part of the trip meant it was half an hour behind schedule when it hove into view in Thurso Bay before berthing at the Queen Elizabeth Pier.

The maiden sailing saw 162 passengers and 52 vehicles disembark and 57 passengers and 20 vehicles board for the next leg to Bergen. The latter joined the 400-plus passengers and 100-strong crew who had remained on the vessel.

The arrivals were welcomed at the quayside by a selection of tunes played by Caithness Junior Pipe Band.

Scrabster harbour master Gordon MacKenzie greeted the visiting VIP party who went on to attend a champagne reception in the Weigh Inn Hotel.

They included Andras Róin and Thomas Magnussen, chairman and managing director respectively of ferry operator Smyril Line, and Faroese government representative Hendrik Old.

Scrabster Harbour Trust has undertaken a programme of works costing over £200,000 to prepare for the new summer sailings.

A new ramp had to be manufactured at the end of the pier so vehicles could be driven off the 164-metre-long Norröna. The vessel, meanwhile, had to have a hole made in the side of one of its upper decks to accommodate the passenger gangway.

The port authority has also had to provide immigration and customs facilities and a vehicle inspection area.

Smyril Line is confident the Scrabster connection will not only increase the number of Scandinavians heading for a break in the UK but also attract Britons and people from continental Europe going in the opposite direction.

Scrabster had a ferry connection with Tórshavn between 1975 and 1983 when the route was plied first by the Smyril and then by the former Norröna.

The two areas have had trade links for the past 11 years through a twice-weekly cargo service which brings 28,000 tonnes of fish through Scrabster each year.

Speaking at the reception before returning to the ferry, Mr Róin said he was confident the restored passenger link would prove successful.

"Our advance bookings are very good - they are above what we expected," he said. "We are finding it popular, both with Icelandic and Faroese people coming to the UK and with continental Europeans making for the Faroes and Iceland."

Mr Róin said one factor is that the Norröna is regularly fully booked for its sailings between Denmark and the Faroes. But he added that there is also a growing interest among people seeking to spend part of their vacation in the Highlands of Scotland.

Mr Róin was presented with a commemorative plaque by Anne Dunnett, Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness.

Miss Dunnett said: "I hope this is not just the start of a business link but the start of a friendship between two communities which have many similarities."

Development agencies believe the new service can give a £2.5 million boost to the tourist trade in the Highlands.

The Highland Council and Visit-Scotland have been running a marketing campaign to help maximise the spin-offs from the new link. This included hosting salesmen from Smyril Line on a familiarisation visit around the Highlands earlier this year.

Among the first to benefit were three Thurso hotels where many of the incoming ferry passengers stayed on Monday night.

Hamish MacKinnon, general manager of the Weigh Inn, said his establishment and others are getting a steady stream of reservations from ferry passengers.

"We've had a lot of bookings already and I know others have as well," he said.

"The new link can only be good for local trade."

Harbour trust manager Sandy Mackie said: "Smyril Line are very happy with the advance bookings and have told us that they are expecting the numbers of passengers to grow to up to 600.

"The important thing as far as the harbour is concerned is the benefits the local economy is going to get from this new service. The future depends on how Smyril Line view how it goes, but we're hoping they could end up putting on more sailings."

Trust chairman William Calder said: "This has been a big development for the port and it's been a real community effort to get everything ready in a really tight timetable.

"We have worked very hard to establish Scrabster and Caithness as a quality destination and the Norröna link promises to generate more new business in tourism and trade for the region."

Mr Calder added: "The Faroes is an important trading partner for Scrabster and the Highlands. Vessel maintenance, renewable energy, oil production and logistics offer significant opportunities to strengthen and expand our links further."

Mr Calder agreed that, with Smyril Line's commitment not extending beyond the current 10-week season, the investment in the port to accommodate the ferry represents a risk.

"Obviously there's risk element in it," he said. "But it's a calculated risk, and we're confident it will pay off in the long term."

The trust received just over £80,000 from HIE Caithness and Sutherland towards the cost of the new works.

The Norröna's Scrabster connection means Scotland now has two mainland international ferry links after the Rosyth/Zeebrugge service.

The ferry arrives at Scrabster from Tórshavn every second Monday at 8.30pm and departs at 10pm, arriving in Bergen at 4pm the following day.

The return sailing the following week sees the vessel arrive at Scrabster from Bergen at 12.30am every second Wednesday and depart at 2am, arriving at Tórshavn at 3.30pm.