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[Article] North-Scotland ferry plan fails to find takers

10-01-2006 11:27pm

#1

Victor

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http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/7148791?view=Eircomnet

North-Scotland ferry plan fails to find takers
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 10th January, 2006

Hopes of a new ferry service linking Scotland and Northern Ireland were today dashed when no takers for the route came forward.

A £1 million per year subsidy to operate the service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle in Co Antrim had been offered by the Northern Ireland administration and the Scottish Executive.

Four firms were invited last year to tender for the service, but none had submitted a bid by the time the deadline closed at 10am.

Scottish transport minister Tavish Scott said the Executive and authorities in Northern Ireland were very disappointed.

"We reported in September that we had received an encouraging level of initial interest in the route, and that we hoped this would lead to a compliant bid being received," he said.

"Unfortunately the organisations invited to bid have not pursued their initial interest and no bids have been received."

A spokesman said it was too early to say whether the amount of subsidy offered was the reasons for the lack of response.

An unsubsidised summer-only service ran between Campbeltown and Ballycastle for three years up to 1999 but ended after "unsustainable" losses. A tendering exercise in 2002 failed to produce a response.

The four companies invited to tender were Harrisons (Clyde) Ltd, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Serco Denholm, and Western Ferries.

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