Air / Bus / Rail / Ferry Services News
20/3/2019
Gills Harbour Ltd Awards Contract To Local Firm
Gills Harbour Ltd, the community-owned body that owns & operates the busy little port on Caithness's North Coast, has awarded a remedial contract to a Wick-based company. The deal, won in a competitive tender, has gone to builders/civil engineers Messrs GMR Henderson Ltd, of Martha Terrace in Wick.
13/3/2019
Latest Update From Gills Harbour To Caithness Transport Forum
REPORT FROM GILLS HARBOUR Ltd., GILLS BAY, KW1 4YB, FOR CAITHNESS TRANSPORT FORUM OF 06.03.2019. 1) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ZONE.
6/3/2019
Air Discount Scheme Renewed And Extended To Sutherland
The Air Discount Scheme (ADS) which provides cheaper air travel for islands and north Highland residents has been extended. The scheme month has been renewed until 31 December 2020.
5/3/2019
Wick John O'Groats Airport Will Be Involved In Strike Action
Prospect air traffic controllers in the Highlands and Islands to strike on 26th April 2019 over pay. Prospect air traffic controllers working for Highlands and Islands Airport Limited will be taking strike action on the 26th of April in relation to their 2018-19 pay offer.
5/3/2019
NorthLink Ferries to Star in STV Documentary
NorthLink Ferries is set to star in a new STV documentary on Friday (08 March 2019), providing viewers across the country with a unique insight into life on board the company's passenger services. Titled All Aboard and broadcast at 8pm, the 30 minute programme follows MV Hrossey as she travels between Aberdeen and Lerwick, offering a behind the scenes chance to see the many roles of crewmembers as well as a glimpse into island life and the stories of those making their way to and from the mainland.
5/3/2019
NorthLink Ferries celebrates apprentices with ministerial visit
Serco NorthLink Ferries has been commended by the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse, for developing young people from Shetland and Orkney and becoming the first and only ferry operator in Scotland to receive the highest Investors in People accreditation. As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2019, 11 apprentices with NorthLink Ferries met the Minister at NorthLink's Stromness office where they discussed the benefits of modern apprenticeships and the opportunities being presented to them by Serco, the operator of the lifeline ferry service.
24/2/2019
A. Alfred Banks, Born Kirkwall Born 13 May 1931 Died 26 January 2019
A Alfred Banks, born Kirkwall, Orkney 13 May 1931 died St. Margaret's Hope, Orkney, 26 January 2019.
7/2/2019
Prospect Ballots Air Traffic Controllers In Highlands And Islands Airports On Pay
Prospect has confirmed arrangements for balloting air traffic controllers at Highlands and Islands Airports Limited on industrial action. The ballot will open on 11 February and close on 1 March.
16/1/2019
M V Helliar Is Now Running The Stromness To Scrabster Route This Week
The Serco NorthLink freight ship Helliar is now running the Stromness to Scrabster ferry route while the Hamnavoe has its refit this week. Bad weather is affecting trips today and tomorrow per the Serco Northlink website - Updated Wednesday 16th January at 13:30 M.V.
26/11/2018
NorthLink Ferries to operate revised timetable during dry dock period
NorthLink Ferries has published timetables confirming arrangement for the regular planned maintenance of its passenger vessels, with one vessel at a time due to be out of service between 13 January and 25 March 2019. MV Hamnavoe, which operates between Scrabster and Stromness, will be removed from service for five days from 13 - 19 January and MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey on the Aberdeen to Kirkwall and Lerwick route from 2 - 18 February and 19 - 25 March.
16/10/2018
Tidal Turbines Returned To Meygen Site In The Pentland Firth
The big offshore construction vessel Seabed Stingray (8,878 tonnes) arrived in the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound from the Cromarty Firth's Nigg Energy Park around 07:00 on Monday (15.10.18) morning with a very special cargo on board. The 121 metre-long vessel was in the narrow strait between Gills Bay and Stroma Island to replace two of the four 'pioneering' tidal turbines that had been lifted out from SIMEC Atlantis Energy's MeyGen site last Summer for inspection and modification at Nigg.
22/7/2018
Heavy Offshore Construction Vessel Viking Neptun In Pentlnd Firth
Picture by Gills Harbour Ltd's Hon Sec Lyall Rennie, of Lower Warse, Canisbay KW1 4YB shows the busy Pentalina ferry in foreground approaching the harbour and passing by the heavy offshore construction vessel Viking Neptun. Deployed on Friday 20th July to recover two Andrtiz 1.5 MW turbines for warranty repairs from the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound from SIMEC Atlantis Energy plc's seabed lease, known as the MeyGen site, just off Gills Bay ( just over 1 NM) in NE Caithness.
19/7/2018
Ferry Passenger Numbers Rise By Ten Per Cent
Northern Isles ferry operator NorthLink Ferries has reported a 10 per cent increase in the volume of passengers who have travelled on the route network since the firm took over running the lifeline ferry service in July 2012. The passenger increase coincides with recent VisitScotland tourism figures which highlighted a rise in visitors to Orkney by 20 per cent since 2013, while the number of visitors to Shetland increased by 10 percent over the same period.
10/7/2018
Northern Isles pupils call for passengers' attention
Northern Isles school pupils are calling for passengers' attention with the introduction of refreshed safety briefing announcements on board NorthLink Ferries passenger vessels. As part of the Scottish Government's Year of Young People 2018, the lifeline ferry service chose four students from Anderson High School in Lerwick for the announcement on MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey and a further four pupils from Stromness Primary School in Orkney for the MV Hamnavoe recording.8/7/2018
NorthLink Ferries backs young people's journey to the future
In support of the Year of Young People 2018, and in partnership with Caber Coffee's Ethyco range, NorthLink Ferries is looking for two outstanding young people to apply for a travel bursary. The bursary is intended to be used towards the cost of attending a significant cultural or leadership event.21/6/2018
Sailing To Success With Serco Northlink Ferries
Serco NorthLink Ferries is proud to support local producers from the Northern Isles as they prepare for this year's Highland Show. In partnership with producers from Orkney, the Serco NorthLink lifeline ferry transported cheese, baked items, oatcakes, ice creams and of course rum and gin, that will be proudly showcased at the show.
20/6/2018
Serco Northlink Ferries: Investors in People Silver Accreditation
Serco NorthLink Ferries celebrates being the first ferry company in Scotland to achieve the prestigious Investors in People Silver Accreditation, the most successful framework for business improvement through people in the UK. Stuart Garrett, Serco's Managing Director of NorthLink Ferries, joined the team at NorthLink Ferries' Stromness call centre to celebrate the achievement.
11/6/2018
Protest Mounting Over Certain Gills Bay/John O'Groats Bus Services To Be Cancelled
Since the news came out in the John O'Groat Journal that Stage coach are to change bus services for Gills and John O'Groats protests have been getting louder. the proposed bus timetable changes from 20th August which effectively abolish the direct route from Wick to John o'Groats and Gills.8/4/2018
New Office-bearer For Gills Harbour Ltd
Gills Harbour Ltd, the community body that owns and runs Gills Harbour on Caithness's North Coast, has a new office-bearer. At its recent Annual General Meeting, Mr Mark Gibson of Northern View, John O'Groats KW1 4YS, was unanimously appointed as the body's Vice-Chairman.21/12/2017
