Pentland Ferries claims green tourism first

Pentland Ferries has become the first ferry operator in the UK to receive a Green Tourism Award.

 The awards programme recognises the commitment of tourism businesses to sustainability and is seen as a prestigious hallmark of environmentally sensitive practices and operation.

The award for the family-run company follows the introduction in November 2019 of a new purpose-built vessel, mv Alfred, which brought superior environmental credentials to the service between St Margaret’s Hope and Gills Bay.

MV Alfred’s efficient design, LED lighting, and fuel efficiency all contributed to the bronze-level award, as did the use of local food suppliers, wind turbine, and waste reducing and recycling initiatives that the company encourages passengers to embrace onboard ship.

The Green Tourism report stated: “This is just the beginning of the journey and I am sure Pentland Ferries will continue to increase their score and have the potential to achieve the silver award.”

Managing director of Pentland Ferries, Andrew Banks, said: “Our environmental credentials are very important to us, so we are very proud to be the first ferry operator in the UK to achieve a Green Tourism Award.”

Mr Banks believes that mv Alfred is significantly more efficient in terms of fuel consumption and emission levels compared with similar ferry services in Scotland.

He added: “These efficiencies sit at the centre of a much wider energy-efficient drive by Pentland Ferries, which includes reducing waste, using low energy lighting, recycling, and using wind power to power the vessel overnight.

“As the Green Award assessment recognises, this is just the start of the Pentland Ferries journey: we will continue to develop greater environmental awareness and efficiencies within our operation.”