Shetland Islands Council has awarded Parkol Marine Engineering a £5.6 million contract to construct a new ferry for Fair Isle, replacing the aging Good Shepherd IV (built in 1986). The vessel will be built at Parkol’s boatyard in Whitby, Yorkshire,
Work is currently ongoing to finalise the vessel design and specification, before fabrication of the new vessel gets underway,with handover expected by October 2026
The requirement is to construct a new larger, faster monohull vessel built to modern standards, to replace the current ferry ‘Good Shepherd IV’ which was built in 1986 in Fife. This new vessel will comply with the MCA workboat code, be able to carry 12 passengers, and will have increased lift-on lift-off (‘Lo-Lo’) capacity for freight operations. The vessel will be roll-on roll-off (‘Ro-Ro’) capable, so that it can use the Council’s existing ferry linkspans, and be built with a strengthened hull for regular linkspan, quay and slipway operations.
In addition to this vessel-build contract, harbour infrastructure works are also now underway at Grutness and in Fair Isle. The anticipated total cost of the project to replace the Fair Isle ferry is £45.4M, with Shetland Islands Council providing £18.6M of funding and the UK Government providing a grant of £26.8M through the Levelling Up Fund.
