Pentalina

A sudden mechanical failure was likely to have been the cause of the 'Pentalina' grounding in Orkney at St. Margaret's Hope. Smoke had been detected in the engine room of the Pentland Ferries vessel beforehand. Emergency services, including lifeboats which took passengers ashore, were called to the scene on April 29 at about 7:30 p.m. after the ferry issued a mayday message. It has since been refloated and berthed at St Margaret's Hope. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) was assessing the extent of any damage. While the facts haven't been established yet, initial reports from the operator pointed to the cause of the grounding being a sudden mechanical failure. It defended the fact that the ferry had been issued with a passenger ship safety certificate following surveys of the vessel on April 18as at this time the vessel met the standards required for issue of this certificate. MCA surveyors will carry out initial fact-finding to establish the cause and circumstances surrounding the incident. The passengers have now been told they can collect their cars and belongings from the vessel. The Pentalina came back into service on April 26 after time in dry dock to allow another ferry, the 'Alfred', to service other routes to islands on the west coast. There were no reports of injuries and passengers described the rescue operation as calm and professional. Report with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-65441218

The 'Pentalina' suffered a fire in the engine room and subsequently ran aground about 100 yards from its destination near the pier at St Margaret’s Hope, Orkney Islands, on April 29, 2023, at around 7.30 p.m. LT. with 60 people on board, among them 56 adults, three children, and a baby, as well as several dogs. They were taken ashore by RNLI lifeboats. Emergency services, including lifeboats, were called to the scene at 7.30 p.m. after the vessel issued a mayday message. There were no reports of injuries. The 'Pentalina' was refloated at about 05.30 a.m., towed by a tug and taken to its berth in St Margaret's Hope. The ship suffered a hull breach with minor water ingress. Reports with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-65439336 https://www.orcadian.co.uk/passengers-evacuated-as-pentalina-runs-aground/

The "Pentalina" was to be going into dry-dock in Orkney on Sep 27, 2013, due to a propeller damaged. One of its propellers was damaged by debris during a crossing between St Margaret's Hope and Gills Bay the recent days. Therefore there would be no sailings between Gills Bay and St Margaret’s Hope from Sep 27 to Sep 29. Sailings were to recommence on Sep 30 morning. Passengers booked on these crossings have been informed where possible.