Laxo pier to be back in operation by Monday after collision
The pier at Laxo which was damaged by the Whalsay ferry Linga should be usable again by Monday and the Linga should be back in service next week, according to ferry services manager Ken Duerden.
Speaking at a meeting of the inter island ferries board on Friday, he said the damage had been caused when the ferry was entering stern first into Laxo. This was unusual but was because of work being done at Symbister.
Work will now take place to repair the mooring dolphin at Laxo and clear debris from the seabed. The Whalsay ferry is running from Vidlin meantime.
In Wednesday's incident, the ferry experienced a failure of a component in the port propulsion unit. Mr Duerden stressed there was "no suggestion" of human error and no recurrence of Linga's earlier problems. He said the incident could have happened on conventional propulsion units or thruster units.
The ferry is now in Lerwick for repairs, with Rolls Royce in attendance. A Lloyd's survey approved the suggested repairs, which will involve having spare propeller blades fitted.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) was informed because of an injury to a passenger.