Strong winds break barge’s moorings
Peter JohnsonThe large accommodation barge Kalmar had to be re-secured after it broke a wire mooring rope in strong winds at the Alexandra Wharf yesterday.
The pilot boat Knab and tug Kebister both pinioned the 94m long, 220 cabin barge until the moorings could be reconnected in an operation that took about an hour-and-a-half.
According to Lerwick Port Authority chief executive Sandra Laurenson there have been recurring problems with Kalmar’s moorings in certain wind conditions.
She said: “The barge moves quite a lot on the big floating fenders that’s part of the barge kit. Yesterday, with the direction of wind, there was a wire that failed at the south end and we have doubled up the mooring system with ropes.”
She said that the barge’s owner Chevalier Barges and its master had been aware of the barge “moving quite considerably in certain weather directions” and were keeping a close eye on it.
Lerwick Observatory said that a southerly gale had been reaching force nine at around 6am with gusts hitting 57 mph. The wind had eased slightly by 9am with gusts of 50 mph and had veered slightly to the south-west.
Strong winds yesterday hampered ferry operations in Yell Sound and on the Whalsay and Skerries runs. The Yell ferry Daggri was unable to start running to schedule at 7.45am as she was unable to come around the pier and it was late morning before she made her first run from Ulsta. The second ferry on the Yell Sound run, Dagalian, was also delayed when she had to wait an hour at Toft to meet an ambulance.
The Whalsay ferry was diverted to run back and forth from Vidlin and the two scheduled sailings to Skerries at 8.10am and 1pm were replaced by one in the late morning from Symbister which also returned to Vidlin.
John Robertson (former reporter)
Why do you persistently fail to credit people’s news photographs? A young man kindly went to the bother of sending in his dramatic picture of the barge which you’ve blazed all over your website today yet you don’t even give him the satisfaction of seeing his work recognised with a name-check.
The picture makes your story yet you feel that we only need to be told who wrote it – the great Peter Johnson in this case. This happens all the time in The Shetland Times (I railed against it in my ST days) so does this mean members of the public are deemed unworthy of mention? I’m baffled as to what other explanation there can be other than that tired old “We forgot” excuse.
Adam Civico
John, It was not a case of forgetting, and certainly not deeming Ross Manson unworthy of mention. It is a fantastic photograph but there was an error in the way it was attached to the story (the caption was there but was not visible). That has now been put right, thanks for pointing it out.
John Robertson (former reporter)
Excellent, thanks. Congratulations on the bold new website.
Pete Bevington (Shetland News)
May I echo John Robertson’s sentiments and congratulate The Shetland Times on its attractive new look website, a fine addition to the islands’ rich media landscape.