Pentalina — ‘important questions must be answered’ says McArthur

Answers are being called for from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Scottish Government, following the grounding of mv Pentalina on Saturday evening.

Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has posed urgent questions with both authorities, following the incident, which saw the vessel go aground at St Margaret’s Hope with 60 passengers on board.

Orkney MP Alistair Carmichael has joined his colleague in calling for the MCA to be “accountable for the decisions they have taken so far”.

It is understood that no injuries were sustained in the incident, which resulted from smoke being detected in the catamaran’s engine room. However, Mr McArthur says questions over the vessel’s certification must be answered.

The Pentalina was cleared for use on a temporary safety certificate last week, allowing  it to cover its sister mv Alfred on the Pentland Firth route. Meanwhile, Alfred has been chartered by CalMac to ply routes on the West Coast.

In a statement on Sunday morning, the Orkney MSP said: “Following the grounding of MV Pentalina in St Margaret’s Hope last night, I want to pay tribute to those in our emergency services as well as the vessel’s crew for ensuring the safety and welfare of the passengers affected. This was a serious incident and it is a relief to hear that everyone got off the vessel safely thanks to the diligence and professionalism of all involved in the rescue.

“Nevertheless there are important questions for the MCA to answer, having so recently inspected and certified MV Pentalina fit for service. People in Orkney will expect answers to those questions as a matter of urgency, not least given the importance of this service to the Orkney community.

”Answers are required too from the Scottish Government, whose failure to procure new ferries in a timely fashion has left services both in the north and on the west coast extremely vulnerable. As a result islanders and island communities are left paying the price.

“I have lodged a Topical Question and will be pressing the Transport Minister to set out what action he plans to take to ensure capacity is maintained on these key routes serving Orkney.”

Mr Carmichael has similarly praised the response to the incident, while calling for answers from maritime authorities.

“We are fortunate this incident was not as serious as it might have been,” he said on Sunday.

”All credit goes to the crew and emergency services for ensuring that it passed off without serious injury or worse. The Pentland Firth is well-known as a difficult stretch of water and passenger safety should never be compromised.

“The service provided by Pentland Ferries is an essential one for Orkney that is used and valued by many local people. It is essential that we have early and full answers from the Maritime Coastguard Agency, who certified the service for use just days ago. It is in no one’s interests for confidence in the service to be damaged and questions left unanswered.

“The MCA must be accountable for the decisions that they have taken so far and for what they intend to do in the future.”

• MV Pentalina was moved into her usual berth this Sunday morning. Widespread praise has been given for the response of the crew and emergency services to the situation. Read more here.