With all the cruise ships around Lerwick Harbour this week, photographer Richard Ashbee suggested all the vessels were lining up to visit the isles.
Ashbee sent this wonderful picture of a large cruise ship moving behind the Bressay ferry.
The visit of the largest cruise ship of this year’s tourist season has been cancelled, delaying her maiden visit to Lerwick Harbour. MSC Virtuosa was…
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Shetland Times
Bob Marsh
While there may be some commercial advantages to a section of Shetland society in port calls by these vessels, one might suggest it important for the Shetland Times to publicise also concerns these vessels rightfully engender, as they have elsewhere. As neighbour Orkney is doing for reasons of visitor overcrowding, Shetland needs to urgently review and impose regulations soonest on the flotilla of cruise liners mentioned heading it’s way.
This is as Norway and other locations of SSI, and ports such as Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam have already actioned cruise liner bans or restrictions for valid reasons. As yet there is nothing comparable being promulgated for Scotland, not unexpected from the calibre of distant government bodies responsible for same that have brought about the likes of the fraught ferry situation, or the individual ports concerned.
There should be local public concern for effective action, both to regulate the huge increase projected in day trippers, but more importantly the resultant environment damage from the documented effluents produced of various types being dumped into the promoted and believed to be pristine, local air and seas by these vessels.
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands-islands/6071437/orkney-council-new-limits-cruise-ships-liners-kirkwall/
https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-return-of-the-cruise-June-2023.pdf
Bob Marsh
Certainly the business aspect is welcome, but it needs to be urgently reflected on and tempered by local regulations and vessel conditions of entry being set by authorities to meet the requirements and aspirations of the Shetland people.
In that regard port services such as provision of adequate shore power and liquids disposal needs to be in place and available against requirements they be used by any vessels that are incapable of being non polluting for power provision, or retaining liquids for disposal elsewhere far away, MARPOL+, in an environmentally sustainable manner. This may mean for example main engines shutdown, not running onboard diesel or LNG powered generators for electrical power provision while in port to minimise discharge to the air of sulphur oxides, carbon dioxide, and methane.