Shetland Islands Council selected a Yell-first tunnel option in a 30-year inter-island route map on September 23, alongside plans for eight new ferries.
The council approved publication of the draft map for consultation under the strategic environmental assessment process. Its preferred option is for a Yell Sound tunnel followed by a link from Yell to Unst. Building either tunnel remains subject to funding and further approvals.
The Scottish Government has committed £23 million ($30 million) to the Yell Sound tunnel’s business case and pre-construction work. The council said the funding would allow initial work to begin, while construction would require separate long-term funding.
Council leader Emma Macdonald said: “Our most significant challenge now is to secure funding to allow implementation of these plans to move forward.” She said the council would seek funding for ferry services as well as the tunnels.
Consultants Stantec, COWI and Mott MacDonald drew up the route map after councillors set their preferred network options in June. In a scenario where work on the two tunnels overlaps, Yell could be completed in 2034 and the Unst link in 2036. Those dates are projections, not construction deadlines.
Stantec estimated the Yell tunnel would cost £525 million and the Yell-to-Unst tunnel £505 million.
The council identified Bluemull Sound as an immediate ferry-investment priority even if the Yell-to-Unst tunnel proceeds. Whalsay also faces deck-capacity constraints. Under the route-map scenario, new vessels could enter service on the Skerries, Papa Stour and Bluemull Sound routes by 2030.
Two new Whalsay ferries are envisaged by 2032, a Bressay ferry by 2033 and a bespoke Foula vessel by 2035. The council also wants a dedicated Fetlar ferry operating over an extended day. The proposed delivery dates depend on funding and subsequent decisions.
The council’s 12 ferries serve nine islands and carry about 750,000 passengers a year. In its June assessment, the council put 2024/25 operating costs at £25 million and reported a mean fleet age of 32.5 years. Attracting and retaining crew also remains difficult.
Separately, on September 25 the council called off its procurement exercise for a new relief ferry. It had intended to develop the vessel’s design with the winning shipyard but said, “a number of significant issues require clarification before we move to detailed design at contract award.” The council said the cancellation would not affect the wider connectivity programme.
The cancelled procurement covered one 33-metre Ro-Pax vessel intended for the existing inter-island network, with Foula excluded. It was to use current terminals and be operated by existing crews without further certification. The council anticipated a price of about £11.7 million for one ferry, with options for up to two more.
The former tender required delivery by March 31, 2029, with a preferred handover by October 31, 2028. No replacement delivery date has been announced. The council will report its next steps to elected members once the design issues have been clarified.
The relief ferry was intended to provide cover when other vessels were unavailable, a role regularly filled by Fivla. Construction of the Fair Isle replacement ferry, Good Shepherd V, is a separate project.