| ILLNESS FORCES HJALTLAND OUT OF SERVICE FOR 48 HOURS | |
07 June 201024-HOUR SHUTTLE SERVICE TO BE INTRODUCEDNorthLink Ferries, which operates the lifeline ferry services between the Northern Isles and the Scottish mainland, announces that it is to withdraw from service one of its three ro-ro passenger ferries for a period of 48 hours. MV Hjaltland, which operates with sister ship MV Hrossey on the Lerwick-Kirkwall-Aberdeen route, is being withdrawn from service with immediate effect. For the duration of the 48-hour period, in place of the two-vessel overnight service which operates on that route, MV Hrossey will operate a continuous daily shuttle service between Lerwick and Aberdeen. NorthLink chief executive Bill Davidson said: "The vessel is being taken out of service as a precautionary measure as a result of a sickness and diarrhoea-type illness which had affected a bus tour party from the Hereford area and who had travelled south from Lerwick to Aberdeen on Friday night. "Within an hour of boarding the vessel in Lerwick one of the bus party became ill and during the 5-hour voyage from Lerwick to Kirkwall some eleven members of the 27-strong, mainly elderly group, reported that they were displaying similar symptoms. Medical assistance and advice, on board and upon arrival at Kirkwall, indicated that the group were well enough to travel on to Aberdeen and they were confined to their cabins for the remainder of the voyage. Additionally, the Master of Hjaltland immediately implemented the company’s cleaning and hygiene regime designed for outbreaks of this nature. "In Aberdeen on Saturday morning experts from NHS Grampian and the Aberdeen City environmental health department met the vessel and examined those members of the party – now numbering 14 – who were ill. They were given the all-clear to continue their journey south and all 405 passengers on the vessel were issued with advisory health leaflets. "Permission was given for the vessel to sail north on Saturday evening and the boat was subjected to a further 10-hour chemical deep clean prior to sailing. The cabins used by the bus tour group were left unused and all passengers were provided with advisory health leaflets. "The subsequent decision to withdraw the vessel for service for the 48-hour period which NorthLink is advised it the normal timespan after which sickness and diarrhoea-type 'bugs' are rendered ineffective, has been taken because on Sunday night three members of the Hjaltland crew were taken ill with similar symptoms. The illness which the bus tour group seem to have brought on board with them, while unpleasant is not considered to be serious. "Passengers are being informed of the new arrangements and to them we apologise. However, in light of the fact that fresh cases of illness arose within the crew, we thought it best to err on the side of caution and to take Hjaltland out of service. Our Pentland Firth service to and from Orkney will continue to run as normal with Hamnavoe but, unfortunately, the shuttle timetable means that we will not be making a call into Kirkwall on Tuesday night and to all Orcadians we apologise," he said. Details of the temporary Lerwick – Aberdeen – Lerwick timetable are as follows:
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