The Isles of Scilly is to get new passenger and freight vessels following the announcement today of a major privately funded ship building programme by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group. The new Scillonian passenger ferry and two new freight vessels will set sail by March 2026. The £42m project will be the single biggest…
Skybus is celebrating more than 30 years of flying from Exeter Airport to the Isles of Scilly as the 2023 season takes off. The Cornwall-based airline has been flying from Exeter Airport to Scilly since May 1991 and the first flight of 2023 took off from Exeter this week. Skybus, owned and…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group is pleased to announce Delwin Thompson as the new operator of the St Mary’s Airport shuttle service from tomorrow (Thursday, December 1st 2022). The new service will be called Island Transfers and will see the introduction of four new minibuses – one of which is electric – with plans…
Scillonian III passage named UK’s highest diversity ferry route for wildlife spotting The 37-mile crossing between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly has been named the UK’s highest diversity ferry route for wildlife spotting by charity ORCA. It comes as ORCA, which is dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK waters,…
Scillonian III superfans travelled from all over the country for a chance to look behind-the-scenes on the passenger ship yesterday (October 11th) to mark Maritime UK Week. People travelled from as far afield as Shropshire, Bristol, Taunton and Plymouth for the opportunity to go on board Scillonian III while the vessel was in Penzance on…
Hundreds of people will have the unique opportunity to go behind-the-scenes on Scillonian III next month to mark Maritime UK Week. Local school children, Sea Cadets and fans of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s faithful passenger ship have been invited on board for the special, one-off event. It will give them a rare chance…
After three decades of loyal service, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has said a fond farewell to St Mary’s Quay Manager Mervyn Bird, who has left to spend more time on his farm. Merv, 59, joined the company in 1988 as a storeman on the quay. He recalls: “Everything used to come in loose…
Tom Sexton has taken the helm of the Gry Maritha, following the retirement of Captain Paul Stevens after two decades on board. The 33-year-old served as Chief Officer on the Gry – the islands’ dedicated year-round freight ship – for five years. Tom, who lives in Carharrack, joined the Steamship Company in 2017 after working…
After 22 loyal years – and 185,000 miles on board the Gry Maritha – Captain Paul Stevens will be retiring in May. Paul, 68, will retire almost 22 years to the day he joined the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, in May 2000. A familiar and well-respected face on the Isles of Scilly, Paul has…
Initial research to establish the feasibility and demand of a drone freight service to the Isles of Scilly has been met with support and enthusiasm. Key community businesses were interviewed in December by research agency PFA, citing such a service as a potential “game changer” and a way of improving connection to the islands. The…
Following a successful period during November and December 2021, Skybus is providing a second period of support to Air Aurigny that began on 11th February 2022, whilst one of Air Aurigny’s own aircraft is on deep maintenance. Between Tuesday 22nd February and Friday 25th February, Skybus carried a total of 208 passengers as well as…
Vital cetacean monitoring surveys by ORCA will be taking place on board Scillonian III once again in 2022. ORCA is the charity dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK waters. Since 2009 they have had three highly trained marine mammal surveyors conduct 153 surveys from Scillonian. A total of 4,924 individual…
Land’s End Airport has taken delivery of a new, state-of-the-art fire appliance. The Toyota Hilux 6×6, known as Fire 2 at the airport, arrived in early January. It was manufactured by Terberg in Gloucestershire. We have invested more than £130,000 in the vehicle, which will replace a 21-year-old 4X4 appliance and help maintain the resilience…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company has appointed Victoria Bolitho as Master of Scillonian III Victoria, 33, who has served as Scillonian III’s Chief Officer for the past two and a half years years, will take the helm from Pete Crawford when he retires in January after four decades on board. She said: “I am…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company has signed a contract to provide support services to Guernsey’s Air Aurigny from November 2nd to December 18th. This means we will be on standby over the period to assist Air Aurigny with flights between Guernsey Airport and Alderney and Alderney Airport and Southampton, while the company’s own aircraft…
Generous Steamship Group customers have donated a milestone £60,000 to the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust over the past three years. The grand total, revealed this week, is down to kind-hearted customers making a voluntary donation to the charity’s fundraising efforts when booking travel via www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk Donations began in April 2019 and have now topped…
Scillonian III marked the end of an era on Sunday (November 6th) as Master Pete Crawford made his final voyage from St Mary’s to Penzance after 39 seasons on board. Pete, 60, will be retiring in January after sailing approximately 666,000 miles on Scillonian III – or more than 30 times around the world. It…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has announced its support for The Island Haven, a charity aiming to provide a place to stay on the mainland for islanders undergoing medical treatment. Steamship Group customers can now help the charity’s fundraising efforts by making a voluntary donation when booking travel via www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk The Island Haven is…
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Britten-Norman work with Isles of Scilly Steamship Group to deliver zero-carbon technology to the islands Another critical step has been taken towards making zero-carbon flights to the Isles of Scilly commercially available. This week, ahead of the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, three companies jointly signed a Letter…
The Council of the Isles of Scilly has just released the following press release and we are delighted with the outcome. Council secures £48m for major improvements to the Isles of Scilly’s sea links The Council has been successful in securing £48.4m towards the cost of replacing the vessels and improving the harbours which play…
In June 2021, the Council of the Isles of Scilly submitted a Levelling Up Fund bid to government for a vessel replacement programme. If successful, the bid will see the Council working with the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, Tresco Estate, Duchy of Cornwall and Cornwall Council (as the owners of Penzance Harbour) to bring…
Scillonian III Chief Officer Victoria Bolitho has joined an elite group of seafarers after gaining her Master’s unlimited certificate – the highest qualification for professional mariners. It means the 33-year-old can take command of virtually any ship, of any size, sailing anywhere in the world. Just two per cent of merchant navy seafarers are women…
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) is one step closer to making zero-emissions flight commercially available by 2025. The company has purchased and taken delivery of a Britten-Norman Islander from Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG), and will retrofit the aircraft with hydrogen fuel cell technology. CAeS is the UK SME leading the Project Fresson consortium, which…
Land’s End Airport has recorded its busiest July ever, with more than 8,500 passengers passing through the airport. The previous best was in July 2018. Land’s End Airport, owned and operated by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, is the gateway to the Isles of Scilly and the home of Skybus for more than 35…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group – one of West Cornwall’s biggest employers – has been announced as a major sponsor of the Cornish stage of the prestigious Tour of Britain cycling event. The UK’s biggest bike race, featuring professional international riders, will start in Penzance on Sunday, September 5th 2021 – the first time…
A pilot project which will see commercial drones making daily deliveries to the Isles of Scilly will take off later this year. The pioneering partnership between the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) experts Flylogix has secured £200,000 of grant funding from Aerospace Cornwall to run the project. The three-month trial…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company is marking the 40th birthday of its faithful freight ship Gry Maritha this month. The Gry, named after the daughter of the first captain, was built in Norway and christened in June 1981. She was purchased by the Steamship Company in 1989 in order to further support the islanders…
State-of-the-art designs for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company’s new passenger and cargo vessels are being revealed for the first time today following an extensive consultation process with the Isles of Scilly community. The striking new 72m passenger ferry will carry 600 passengers over three decks with a contemporary, comfortable seating arrangement, onboard coffee…
Health Secretary Matt Hancock thanked employees at Land’s End Airport this morning (Monday, May 24th) for their dedication in maintaining the lifeline link to Scilly throughout the Covid pandemic. Mr Hancock was travelling on an official visit to St Mary’s, but took the time to stop and talk to employees. He said: “The last year…
Skybus and Scillonian, the flagship routes to the Isles of Scilly, are expecting their busiest day in almost two years later this month, with both flights and ferry fully booked. As the islands gear up for the half-term holiday, Skybus has announced it is carrying almost 600 passengers on 44 flights on Saturday, May 29th…
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