''Good Shepherd IV'' is a Scottish

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

, connecting Fair Isle to Shetland Mainland. It is owned and operated by SIC Ferries.

History

The ship, built in St Monans,

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, has been in service since 1986 and is operated by the Shetland Islands Council. MV Good Shepherd IV passing Sumburgh Head - geograph

The previous ferry on this route, ''Good Shepherd III'', was a former inshore trawler, owned by the islanders since 1972.

Service

The ferry carries up to 12 passengers and one car. There are sailings three times a week from Grutness Pier near

Sumburgh Head Sumburgh Head is a headland located at the southern tip of the Shetland Mainland in northern Scotland. The head consists of a 100 m high rocky spur and topped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. In the Old Norse language, Sumburgh Head was cal ...

in summer and one per week in winter. In the summer only, there are fortnightly sailings to

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

, the capital of Shetland.

Replacement Ferry

A news report in September 2020 indicated that some members of Council believed that the 31-year-old ''Good Shepherd IV'' was due for replacement but that Holyrood had not authorized that expenditure. Councillor Allison Duncan was quoted as saying, "I think it's despicable that they can't at least look after one of our remote islands by giving them the boat that they justly deserve." In January 2023, £26.7 million was awarded by the UK Government, as part of the ' levelling up' fund, to the Shetland Islands Council for the purchase of a new ro-ro ferry for Fair Isle and new terminals at both the Grutness and Fair Isle ports, including linkspans. The new ferry is expected to be similar to the MV ''Snolda'', with 25m length and capacity for about 4 cars and a crane. The work is due to be completed by April 2026.

References

Ferries of Scotland Transport in Shetland 1986 ships 1986 in Scotland Fair Isle {{DEFAULTSORT:Good Shepherd Iv