MV Pentalina

MV Pentalina is a 70 m (230 ft) RoPax catamaran ferry purchased by Pentland Ferries in 2008 to operate between Gills Bay, Caithness and St Margaret's Hope, Orkney.

MV Pentalina approaching Gills Bay
History
United Kingdom
NamePentalina
OwnerPentland Ferries
Port of registryKirkwall
RouteGills Bay - St Margaret's Hope
Ordered2007
BuilderFBMA Marine yard, Cebu, Philippines
Costest £10–15m[1]
Yard number1025
Laid downFebruary 2007
LaunchedApril 2008
Maiden voyage6 February 2009
In service30 March 2009
Out of service
  • 1 November 2019 - 25 April 2023,
  • 30 April 2023 -
HomeportKirkwall
Identification
StatusUnder Repair
General characteristics
TypeFerry
Tonnage
Length70 m (229 ft 8 in)
Beam20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Draft2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) (service)
Capacity247 passengers, 70 cars[1]

Layout

Pentalina was designed by the naval architects, Sea Transport Solutions of Australia. The catamaran form has a steel hull with aluminum superstructure.[2] She is designed to handle the rough seas off the north coast of Scotland.[1] Her overall length is 70 m (230 ft), with a beam of 20 m (66 ft).

Route

Pentalina replaced the ferry MV Claymore, crossing the Pentland Firth, between Gills Bay, Caithness and St Margaret's Hope, Orkney.[3] The journey time for the crossing on this vessel is one hour.[3]

Construction and career

Pentalina was built in Cebu, Philippines, starting in February 2007. She was ready to launch in April 2008, although there were delays in installing equipment. The 10,000-mile (16,000 km) journey from the Philippines to Scotland was delayed by bad weather, forcing a short detour to Salalah, Oman.[1] She arrived in St Margaret's Hope on 9 December 2008.[4]

There was discussions of her doing sailings from Gills Bay to Shetland.[5]

Pentland Ferries commissioned a larger catamaran, The Alfred, to replace the Pentalina on the same St Margaret's Hope to Gill's Bay route. The new vessle entered service on 1 November 2019. However, on 5 July 2022 the MV Alfred ran aground on the island of Swona. Pentland Ferries confirmed that the port bulbous bow sustained impact damage.[6] While the MV Alfred was in dry-dock in Belfast the MV Pentalina returned to serve on the St Margaret's Hope - Gill's Bay route[7] until the 12th August 2022.[8]

2023 grounding

On 29 April 2023, Pentalina ran aground near St Margaret's Hope. The operator Pentland Ferries stated that smoke was detected in the ship's engine room at around 7:30pm and subsequently grounded. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution arrived at the incident, and 60 people were safely evacuated. It has been described as a Major Incident by the RMT.[9] MV Pentalina was moved from grounding site to her berth, about 90m away, the morning after, 30 April 2023. She is expected to be out of service for repairs following the grounding until 21 May 2023.[10]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pentalina (ship, 2008).
  1. "Pentalina - Catamaran Ferry". ship-technology.com. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  2. "FBMA Marine Hull 1025 - Pentalina Launch". Aboitiz. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  3. "Welcome to Pentland Ferries". Pentland Ferries. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  4. "Pentalina arrives home". Orkney Today. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  5. McQuarrie, Andrew (10 February 2018). "Caithness ferry idea backed by isles businessman". The Shetland Times. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  6. "MV ALFRED INCIDENT". Pentland Ferries. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  7. "Pentalina set to resume Pentland Ferries service". Orcadian. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  8. "MV Alfred headed for home following damage repairs". Orcadian. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  9. "Orkney ferry runs aground after smoke in engine room". BBC News. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  10. "Pentland Ferries - MV Pentalina update". 7 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
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