First cruise ship docks at new Stornoway Deep Water port

There has long been concern that Stornoway would struggle to cope with swathes of culture-hungry cruisegoers. The Hebridean infrastructure has also been under the watchful eye of economists since the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the island communities with abject force.

Local attitude to the incoming armada of tourist vessels has been mixed, with anxiety over environmental and wildlife issues amid distress about Stornoway’s viability as a mainstream cruise port. On the flip side, others have welcomed the prospect of further business for local shops and investment potential for domestic amenities.

One such business that’s already feeling the benefit of Stornoway’s Deep Water Terminal is Lochs Motors, which has signed a contract to shuttle passengers from the new quayside to the town’s historic centre, as reported by the Stornoway Gazette.

The company has acquired double-decker buses to transport cruisegoers over the short journey, with a freshly-laid tarmac road leading to Cronwell Street Quay ready for action by mid-April.

Further development efforts will undoubtedly improve the local infrastructure, injecting much-needed revenue into a heritage-driven area of Scotland still recovering from Governmental injustice and economic strife.

The port may still have been under construction as Ambassador Ambition threw her mooring line, but the symbolism is clear – Stornoway’s future has arrived.