Fair Isle ferry Good Shepherd V, Digi Mart USA News (Whitby, England): The new Fair Isle ferry has been unwrapped, with hopes she will arrive in Shetland before Christmas.
The tarpaulins were removed from the vessel on Wednesday at the boatyard in Whitby where she has been built. Boatyard staff will continue the final work in the coming weeks, including fitting out internal spaces and testing systems before sea trials can take place.
The hull and superstructure are now substantially complete and painted. The vessel will soon be lifted by crane from the boatyard into the water by the quayside on the River Esk.
The new ferry will replace the current 40-year-old vessel Good Shepherd IV, which has served the crossing between Fair Isle and the Shetland mainland since 1986. Work in Fair Isle harbour will continue in the coming months to install the winch house and cradle for the boat noust, which will allow the vessel to be taken out of the water in poor weather.
Work is now largely complete on the extended pier and new breakwater at Grutness on the Shetland mainland, with only minor finishing works remaining. The estimated total cost of the project to replace the vessel and upgrade necessary harbour infrastructure is £45.4 million, funded by £18.6 million from Shetland Islands Council and a £26.8 million grant from the UK Government’s levelling up fund.
Environment and transport committee chairwoman Moraig Lyall called the unveiling a “key milestone for the project.” “After months under wraps, it’s good to see the new vessel unveiled before the final stages of work take place,” she said. “The Good Shepherd V will be such an important asset for the social and economic future of Fair Isle.”
Lyall said she looked forward to seeing more progress in the coming weeks before the vessel leaves Whitby for Shetland. Although the ferry may arrive in Shetland before Christmas, she is only due to enter service in the spring.
