However Superfast announced withdrawal of their service soon after the Norshukon application and Shetland businessman John White, who has been selected as the preferred operator of the service, said that with the new realities in place there should be no barrier to getting the funding. He added that while 'disappointed' at the failure of the plan this year, he is putting in a resubmission in January 2009.

There could be benefits arising from the delayed start, which means that the new service gets up and running with a larger and more efficient vessel than was originally planned. Commencing with a much bigger capacity provides an obvious advantage in the marketplace and also delivers a benefit with regard to the carbon footprint per unit of cargo.

Read the full story in the November issue of Maritime Journal.