Northlink Ferries cancellations ‘highly probable’ at weekend, passengers warned
Caithness and Orkney ferry passengers have been warned that cancellations of some sailings are “highly probable” this weekend, amid weather warnings for wind gusts of up to 80mph.
This weekend is expected to be the busiest time on the region's roads and other transport links this festive season, as people begin their big Christmas getaways to visit relatives and friends.
But with Met Office wind warnings dominating the weekend across the whole of the north, passengers are being advised to check journeys before they travel.
Northlink Ferries is warning passengers arriving or departing the Pentland Firth that there is a “high probability” that sailings be cancelled on Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday. The Saturday morning sailings were also “under review with a possible earlier departure” at the time of writing.
A spokesperson said: “MV Hamnavoe, due to forecasted adverse weather conditions the [Saturday] AM sailings are currently under review with a possible earlier departure, [Saturday] PM sailings are under review with a high probability of cancellation, update to follow.
“Due to adverse weather conditions all sailings [on Sunday] are under review with a high probability of cancellation.”
Pentland Ferries, meanwhile, was advising passengers travelling between Caithness and Orkney on Friday that some sailings will be departing earlier than scheduled.
The 5pm sailing from St Margaret’s Hope will now set sail at 3pm instead, with a final check-in at 2.30pm.
And the 6.45pm sailing from Gills Bay will depart at 4.30pm instead, with passengers’ final check-in at 4pm.
At the time of writing it had not yet issued any travel advice for the weekend.
Elsewhere in the north, CalMac ferries will not sail in or out of Ullapool this Saturday after the ferry operator announced a string of weather-related cancellations.
The ferry operator has urged ferry passengers on the Ullapool-Stornoway route to travel today (Friday) "where possible", amid fears that their original sailings may be axed due to the weekend storm.
No ferries will operate between Ullapool and Stornoway on Saturday, and the 2pm Sunday crossing from Stornoway to the mainland is also cancelled "due to adverse weather".
The Met Office is predicting wind gusts of up to 80mph in The Minch on Saturday, and speeds of up to 60mph on Sunday.
The 6.30pm Ullapool departure on Sunday was still scheduled to operate when CalMac issued its latest update at 9.15am on Friday - but it warned that it is also "liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice" and a Met Office weather warning will still be in force at the time of that crossing.
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Overnight freight ferries on the route are also likely to face possible disruption or cancellation over the weekend.
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