By
Michele Witthaus |
P&O Ferries has placed a bid to resume services from the Scottish mainland to the islands of Orkney and Shetland.
This signals the line's intention to return to the routes, for which it was responsible until 2002, when it lost them in a tender. P&O is one of six companies shortlisted for the new Northern Isles contract, which will run for six years from July 2012.
Competing with P&O to win the route are Serco Ltd, Shetland Ferries and Northlink Ferries, the current operator, which is part of the David MacBrayne Group owned by the Scottish Government. Pentland Ferries, which already has one Orkney route, is bidding for a second, while Sea-Cargo AS is bidding to run the Shetland service.
Northlink’s current services comprise three passenger and vehicle ferries delivered from Aker Finnyards in 2002 with back-up from two 88-trailer chartered freight ro-ro ships.