Shetland Islands Council is to firmly oppose all the options put forward by the government to save money by cutting NorthLink’s ferry service.

Shetland Islands Council is to take on a senior manager to push ahead with its £300 million plan for four subsea tunnels to the main islands over the next 20 years. However, councillor Frank Robertson, who spent his career in council building projects, warned that the long lead-in time for major works meant it could be 20 years before the first tunnel can even be delivered for Whalsay.

A senior manager may be taken on by Shetland Islands Council to push ahead with its £300 million plan to build four subsea tunnels to the main islands over the next 20 years.

Tesco hopes to open fuel pumps in Lerwick if it can find a suitable site. Manager of the local branch Paul Clelland confirmed the move, revealing that the company was in talks with Shetland Islands Council to try to pinpoint a possible location because there is not enough room on the supermarket site on the South Road.

Companies which were owed a total of £294,000 by the former Shetland Catch subsidiary Shetland Smokehouse when it failed four years ago are to receive only a tiny fraction of what they are due.

The owners of a Lerwick food shop fear they will be the first local business forced out by Tesco’s supermarket expansion. Najma and Asghar Ali have seen trade at their World Tastes specialist grocery shop plummet since last week when the retail giant began selling a range of exactly the same Asian products at a fraction of the price.

BP has pooh-poohed speculation that management of Sullom Voe is to transfer to the Abu Dhabi oil company TAQA, which owns the biggest share in the terminal.

Two councillors have been censured by the Standards Commission for failing to declare their tiny financial interest in the Shetland Livestock Marketing Group when they pushed for it to receive a council grant.

Fears that Whalsay will be reduced to a one-ferry operation because the Hendra has to be scrapped have been allayed by Shetland Islands Council.

The proposed £60 million Aegir wavefarm off Shetland could generate considerable work for the islands, including a dedicated maintenance team for the Pelamis machines and contracts for tugs and workboats.