Reports have emerged suggesting the Royal Air Force could be called in to airlift supplies to Orkney.
Lauren Taylor, writing for The Press and Journal, highlighted concerns raised by councillors about the potential collapse of the region’s ageing ferry fleet.
The fleet, composed of nine council-owned vessels ranging between 27 to 50 years old, faces the danger of simultaneous breakdown. Such an event could leave the outer isles isolated for weeks, with replacements for the fleet estimated to cost a staggering £400 million.
Councillor Kristopher Leask spoke of the increasing apprehension surrounding the lengthy negotiations with the Scottish Government for new vessels. He stated that although not an imminent threat, “it’s part of our responsibility to crisis plan. We’re now in meetings starting to talk about what would happen in the worst-case scenario.”
Discussion of RAF drops and airlifts as potential solutions have been included in these planning meetings.
In response to the situation, an Orkney Islands Council spokeswoman confirmed to the Press and Journal that emergency planning has begun, in collaboration with the NHS and other essential services.
Preparations are in place to mitigate the possible loss of ferry services due to ageing vessels and the lack of a funding commitment from the government. In assurance to the local community, a Transport Scotland spokesperson reiterated the Scottish Government’s commitment to the Orkney Internal Ferry Replacement Task Force.
One data point in how RAF should have a C27J, C-295 class aircraft?
Nah…..the herc’s are perfect for this kind of thing……oh…………
Seems there are 5 airports in Orkneys.
https://i.imgur.com/77yeqdL.jpg
Seems like a job for this.
No ramp for heavier stuff.
https://i.imgur.com/CbSFIPh.jpg
Nuff said.
And unlike C27 etc it was actually in service with the RAF right up until last year >:(
https://i.imgur.com/wpI4X98.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Ke7V8FG.jpg
Haha, still impractical
“It doesn’t have a ramp.”
*Gets shown a ramp*
“Ramps are impractical.”
Oh well, too much to hope to get a better response from you.
It isn’t, and it would’ve worked much better than asking for a few more million for a new type of aircraft.
Don’t play dumb, that is not a ramp that works by just on/off like in C-130, C27J for fast cargo take or deployment. Plus just look at that cargo height level.
Dude it’s literally a ramp. It’s not difficult.
But hey you’d be the expert in being dumb so I’m not surprised you don’t grasp it.
Yes it is difficult for you to understand that a click of a button ramp part of fuselage is different than a contraption that you have to have in airport or takes a lot of space inside the aircraft.
Lol because a click button ramp doesn’t take up room inside an aircraft. Stop you’re embarrassing yourself now. Run along and find someone who cares about your delusions.
Lets not even bother to touch on things like: I was talking about retaining and using an existing asset, you’re aruging for spending millions on a new asset because “Little ramp needed waaa”, or the fact that (OMG) a ramp can be found in the orkneys or northern scotland if it’s seriously an issue flying between them.
Grow up kids or take into the carpark!!
Oh well lots of chinooks in the RAF. The kids would be so excited getting a lift to school/trip to the shops in a chinook. Wonder if they will do runs after the pubs shut
Shame nobody thought that a ferry fleet between 27-50 years old might of needed replaced a while ago.
Age of the ship isn’t a huge issue it’s self more what the state of them is. Or is a small ferry a boat?
SNP doesn’t make boating mistakes you know. Only Westminster makes boat mistakes. Like when they ordered 13 Frigates and 5 OPV’s instead of the 13 Frigates they promised.
Westminster lied, 13 frigates and 5 OPV is not 13 frigates. Do not underestimate a politicians will to make nonsense statements. 😂😂
If I add up T26 & T31 Frigate orders, how many does that equal?
If I add up how many SNP Ferguson ferries have been delivered, how many does that equal?
NIL
Ee fads surely not.
I thought at one time, the RN was getting nineB2 rivers?
My mate has a 25m dive boat rib, I’m sure he’d be willing to help out at a cost!
Can you imagine the cost of using a Chinook to do the job of a ferry!
It used to be about £25K per flight hour. It’s probably a lot more now.
They could probably swing a few trips, if they can class them as part of an exercise, ie nav training, load training etc. not sure the iskanders would be happy with a bit of fighter evasion though. Make sure you have a couple barf bags handy, just saying!
Can’t they do it like UVDL did with the German Army.
Learning to care for children.
Albeit Scottish children may be something else.
The RAF bit is just fluff to get the story in the paper. It’s sexier than a story about a bit of Scotland traditionally hostile to the SNP getting a bad deal of an SNP government.
The independence story is simply to highlight the difference in subsidy that Orkney gets versus Shetland and the Hebrides. It is also highlighting how the fares for the ferries in Orkney are determined through a different formula to the other Scottish Islands. They are not after self rule or merging with Denmark. The Orkney Islands Council is acutely aware of the ferry age and resilience issue, but their hands are tied by Scottish Government who control them just like the Cal Mac ongoing fiasco. Fairly recently there was a paper from the Scottish Gov that said the average age of… Read more »
Why can’t they charter another couple of ships to cover the route? Surely there must be something available commercially. If not, a RN ship. Using RAF Helicoptors is like getting deliveroo in a Rolls Royce with chauffer service.
Not that I want to defend the SNP, but this is actually nothing to do with the government in Edinburgh. These are run by the local authority under the guise of Orkney Island’s Ferries. True some of the funding comes from Holyrood, but the decision on replacing the boats is all down to Kirkwall.
At last, someone actually posting the true situation with the provison of ferry services in Orkney. SNP and the state of ferry provision in general is a disgrace. If the intention of the article was meant as yet another piece of anti SNP clickbait then at least take the time to make sure that you reflect the true situation.
Thanks for that. We talking about the ferries within Orkney, not the ferries between Orkney and the mainland. The former, as you point out, are run by Kirkwall, but the latter are Northlink Ferries (a CalMac joint venture), which I believe are run on a tender from the Scottish Executive, and are based out of Aberdeen. Perhaps asking them to provide an emergency backup service, stretching a couple of the Kirkwall routes to continue to the outer isles, might be a simpler contingency than asking the RAF to provide airfreight. Admittedly it would reduce the frequency of services to Kirkwall,… Read more »
Remind – who f*cked up the supply of new ferries from their friends?
They would be better if push came to it to use RM Landing Craft 😀
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Royal_Marines_military_watercraft
Pity the LCL Class were scrapped, they could have done the job
hey ho no avocado on the Orkneys, and maybe rent a cargo flight to cover. not very sustainable the greens will love this
405 troops 325 crew if one of the Albion’s were lost who would be trucked out to explain why the ship was pretty well unarmed? A sea ceptor system for these two ships is as important as for the carriers.