Ferry access problem causes outrage in Nólsoy

Transport to and from Nólsoy has been severely hampered after regular ferry Ternan recently docked for repairs.

New replacement ferry Erla Kongsdóttir requires an adjustable ramp for safe access and thus cannot land in small ports such as Nólsoy, Hestur, Fugloy and Svínoy.

This has left Nólsoy residents furious, as rubbish is piling up and the local store is running out of stock.

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“This is a crisis for our island,” says Anja Hartmann Wardum, who runs the Nólsoy tourist centre.

“Using Mykines ferry Jósup as an emergency replacement is no good at this time of year because it is simply too small and unsafe during this stormy period.”

Erla Kongsdóttir arrived in the Faroes a few months later than planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to former transport minister Henrik Old, who commissioned the replacement ferry, the transport authorities were aware of the landing complications. But he insists there would have been enough time to rectify the problems had the delay not occurred.

Tórshavn mayor Annika Olsen has vowed to solve the ferry access problems in Hestur and Nólsoy as soon as possible, although she cannot guarantee a solution before Christmas.