Representatives of the Friends of Isles of Scilly Transport (FRIST) met with Norman Baker, Transport Minister, on 1 Nov 2012 in London. FRIST made its case for affordable, reliable all year round lifeline transport links to the mainland. The meetings was deemed a success. The Minister is watching to see how Scilly copes with the loss of the helicopter and made no onerous undertakings. He did however leave the door open for further meetings. The Chairman of IOS Council, Mike Hicks and another IOS Councillor accompanied FRIST to the meetings.
Click here for FRIST press release.
Click on the headline for the rest of this article.
Earlier in the day (1 Nov 2012) FRIST representatives meet with Clarksons (shipping brokers) and CalMac, operator of the majority of ferries to the Scottish islands. This meeting proved extremely valuable with Clarksons, a world class ship broker, confirming categorically that second hand tonnage suitable for the IOS route did not exist. A new vessel, purpose built, was assessed to cost in the range £20 - £25 million depending on specification. Various financing models used to finance Scottish vessels were explained. Clarkson's will be writing to the Minister about their findings.
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