Vehicles damaged after cargo crashes out of lorry aboard ferry

Vehicles have been damaged by cargo that crashed from a lorry aboard a NorthLink ferry service from Orkney.

On Wednesday morning, the MV Hamnavoe was travelling across the Pentland Firth from Stromness to Scrabster on the north coast of Scotland.

During the journey, cargo shifted within the ferry’s hold and damaged vehicles. Images of the incident appear to show a large piece of machinery having fallen from a large flatbed lorry and onto nearby vehicles.

Nobody was injured, and passengers were able to safely disembark at Scrabster.

However, the incident has affected ferry services on Wednesday. The company confirmed that the 8.45am return journey to Orkney has been delayed.

The MV Hamnavoe sails across the Pentland Firth up to six times a day. The journey takes approximately 90 minutes, covering a distance of 30 miles.

The Met Office’s 24-hour coast and sea forecast for the region predicted “rough or very rough” sea conditions to the west and north of Orkney, stating that conditions elsewhere in the region are “slight or moderate”.

“At 8am this morning we experienced a cargo shift aboard the MV Hamnavoe as it made its way from Stromness to Scrabster, damaging some vehicles,” Stuart Garrett, managing director of Serco NorthLink Ferries said.

“Nobody was injured, and passengers were able to safely retrieve unaffected vehicles and disembark at Scrabster.

“Crew are now carrying out a full review of the incident. Unfortunately, this may result in a delay to today’s services, but we are doing all we can to minimise the impact.”

Up to date travel information is available from the NorthLink Ferries website.