Shetland Islands Council may set up an arms length company to run its inter island ferries in a bid to stave off potential competition on the route, while saving the authority $1 million over three years. Councilors will decide whether to implement proposals put forward by a working group which has spent the past year examining ways of improving the SIC's expensive ferry service. Proposals include setting up a private firm to run the ferries, employing crews through an offshore company and reducing staff at the ferry operations center, at Sella Ness. Consultants Strategic Transport Solutions (STS) have advised that the council could save money by creating an independent company which would not have to maintain wages at local authority levels through the single status agreement.