Wishart slams SNP’s handling of Northern Isles ferry service
Scottish Liberal Democrat and Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart and has slammed the SNP’s handling of the Northern Isles Ferry Service in a Scottish Parliament debate this week (Wednesday 4th March). Ms Wishart highlighted longstanding issues that the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland had not ‘seriously engaged’ with during her time as an MSP.
In her speech Ms Wishart spoke of the booking system, struggles to book a car and a cabin on preferred dates, freight capacity issues, the removal of shared cabins and the impact on concessionary vouchers as a consequence. Ms Wishart followed up her speech with a letter to the Cabinet Secretary outlining the important points she has repeatedly raised on behalf of her constituents.
Northern Isles Liberal Democrats have previously raised the issue of shared cabins including in Ms Wishart’s 3,500-word NIFS4 consultation response submitted October 2025. Ms Wishart also questioned the Cabinet Secretary in December 2025 following ongoing correspondence on the issue. Orkney’s MSP, Liam McArthur has also raised the issue alongside Ms Wishart.
After the debate Ms Wishart said:
“I have put concerns raised with me to the Scottish Government, such as the points highlighted in my 2023 NorthLink passenger survey, and lukewarm platitudes have been the response. There are many ongoing issues with our lifeline service which the Scottish Government could address if it was so minded.
“The Scottish Parliament debate was an opportunity for Scottish Liberal Democrats to focus on topics that are close to our constituents’ hearts. Islanders don’t ask for special favours but to meet lifeline needs they must have reliable ferry services.
“I have followed up my remarks with a letter to the Cabinet Secretary. Perhaps with an election looming the SNP government will at least be willing to listen this time.”
You can watch Ms Wishart’s contribution here.
Ms Wishart’s submission to the Scottish Government’s Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIFS4) contract consultation here.
You can see Ms Wishart’s question and the full exchange with the Cabinet Secretary in December 2025 here.
A copy of the Cabinet Secretary’s response letter to Ms Wishart from July 2025 can be found here.
McArthur and Wishart call for overhaul of NorthLink cabin policy July 2025.
The text of the recent letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP, can be seen below:
Dear Fiona
Northern Isles Ferry Service
I note your remarks in the Chamber earlier this week on both Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th March 2026. During my speech on Wednesday you will have heard me reference your statement delivered on Tuesday and expressing that I was not surprised by how many responses were received to the Northern Isles Ferry Service (NIFS) contract consultation. You will be well aware of the survey I undertook in the constituency in 2023 which found similar results and that I presented to the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland. Indeed it is a great shame that my constituents’ views do not appear to have been fully considered in 2023 after I provided the results to your department. As such I have outlined below many of the ongoing issues that if resolved would improve the lifeline service that those in the Northern Isles rely on.
The booking system for NorthLink would be improved with the removal of ‘cliff edge’ dates, beyond which bookings are closed. It makes forward planning difficult, while at the same time islanders are advised by the operator to book well in advance. I have long advocated for a rolling booking system and indeed in meetings with ministers and officials I have been told that officials will look into this. We await the development of the NIFS4 contract to see if this will come to fruition.
Capacity continues to be a concern for both passengers and hauliers. Passengers struggle to secure bookings for cabins on the dates they need to travel, even more so if they also need to take their car.
There are also logistical complexities to ensure the time-sensitive transport of freight exports from Shetland. Capacity limits constrain local businesses and their ability to expand. Shetland punches above its weight in many aspects and high value produce like seafood (around 80% of Scotland’s mussels are produced in Shetland) need to get to market on time and meet customer demand. Work needs to be done now to procure extra tonnage to address this while the tender process is underway for the new freight-flex vessels as it will be years before they are in service and, despite me raising it repeatedly, Transport Scotland seem caught out each autumn by the requirements of the annual livestock sales and the ‘pinch point’ that causes.
A situation recently raised with me is that the commercial rate for larger vehicles is being charged to those who may not have been be using said vehicle for private rather than commercial purposes. This is something that Transport Scotland confirms is open to interpretation by the operator though appears to contradict the terms and conditions on Serco NorthLink’s website. There is a level of unfairness here that could be addressed by the express outlining of the rules that the operator intends to enforce.
Finally, you will be aware that the removal of the previously longstanding policy of shared cabins on NorthLink Ferries has caused significant and ongoing frustration for islanders. The withdrawal of the option of cabin-sharing, initially understandable during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020, has removed personal choice for those who wished to use this option as a way of making travel both more comfortable and more affordable.
The fact that shared cabins were withdrawn after the pandemic, during the same service contract under which they were previously offered, without any consultation with the community, when all indications were that it remained a popular option for many islanders, is an indictment of the lack of consideration for and understanding of the needs of islanders who rely on this service.
As has been outlined to you on many occasions, the reasons given for the removal of shared cabins on grounds of “safety” bear little scrutiny, particularly given that both the concerns that have been raised about the behaviour of passengers in other communal sleeping areas, and indeed the acknowledgment by Ministers, the operator and Transport Scotland that passengers may arrange shared cabins themselves anyway. This has been encouraged, I would suggest, to ensure that any liability on the operator is negated. The further point to this is that passengers should not need to have a social media account in order to arrange a shared cabin.
You will also be aware that the withdrawal of the cabin-sharing policy has negatively impacted the effective value of NEC concessionary ferry vouchers, which are intended to provide two return journeys for eligible passengers. Prior to the removal of shared cabins, these could be used for a berth in a shared cabin on both legs of a journey to and from the isles. Now, for solo travellers in receipt of the concessionary vouchers, securing a berth in a cabin requires using their voucher plus either a cash contribution or a second voucher.
As I have repeatedly highlighted, this change effectively halves the value of NEC vouchers and in many cases leaves passengers with no choice but to use inferior sleeping options. Those with concessionary vouchers are often those with more need to lie flat for the voyage and less financial means to pay the extra cost that is imposed by the current policy.
There is also a question about the impact on passenger capacity with sole passengers occupying a cabin with the other berths left unoccupied where these were once some of these could be utilised under the shared cabins policy. Once again, I reiterate that it is not acceptable to allow a third party such as a social media platform to be the basis of how the berths on vessels can be filled. It is especially frustrating to passengers who wish to book a sailing but cannot get the dates they hoped for as cabins are already booked though not necessarily full.
I am of the view that amongst the many other issues at play with the lifeline Northern Isles ferry service, any new contract must fully and properly address both the issues of shared cabins and concessionary voucher entitlement parity. The removal of peak ferry fares for islanders this year demonstrates clearly that when the government finds the political will to rethink aspects of our ferry services, progress can be made - so I look forward to a positive response on reinstating the shared cabin option in due course.
I would also reinforce what I am on record as saying that none of my criticisms of the Northern Isles ferry service is a reflection on the staff who work for NorthLink Ferries. In fact the opposite is true. I frequently hear from constituents, and that was manifested in responses to my 2023 survey, that staff are helpful in addressing any issues or concerns. I have always found management and staff willing to engage in any matters I have raised with them during my term as Shetland’s constituency MSP.
Yours sincerely
Beatrice
Beatrice Wishart MSP