Northlink Ferries
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. NorthLink Ferries is a wholly owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd
David MacBrayne Ltd
David MacBrayne Ltd is a company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as a private shipping company, it became the main carrier for freight and passengers in the Hebrides...
, whose sole shareholder is the Scottish Government.
History
The subsidised Northern IslesNorthern Isles
The Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
ferry services, previously run by P&O Scottish Ferries
P&O Scottish Ferries
P&O Scottish Ferries ran ferry services between the Scottish mainland and Orkney and Shetland.-History:P&O took over the routes from the long-established North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company in 1971...
were put out to tender in 1999. A joint venture between Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
and the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
named Northlink Orkney and Shetland Ferries won the service from 2002. Its ambitious plans ran into difficulties, and the service was re-tendered while Northlink ran under interim arrangements. By the closing date, bids were received from V-Ships UK Ltd, and from Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
, which put in the lower bid and won the tender. Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
formed a company named NorthLink Ferries Limited which began operating the Northern Isles ferry services on 6 July 2006.
Services
NorthLink Ferries operates two routes:- Scrabster to StromnessStromnessStromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
, Orkney (90 minutes) - AberdeenAberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
to LerwickLerwickLerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, Shetland (12 hours 30 minutes northbound; 12 hours southbound). Some services also call at KirkwallKirkwallKirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
, Orkney, which increases the journey time by 2 hours.
Fleet
Currently the NorthLink fleet consists of:, on the Pentland FirthPentland Firth
The Pentland Firth , which is actually more of a strait than a firth, separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland.-Etymology:...
route, 112m long and , sister ships, on the Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
to Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
via Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
route, 125m long and , sister ships, used for freight and livestock to Orkney and Shetland, sailing from Aberdeen. Both ships are on charter from Seatruck Ferries
Seatruck Ferries
Seatruck Ferries is a UK based freight-only ferry company which commenced services in 1996. It is part of the Clipper Group, a shipping company based in The Bahamas. The company operates out of five ports on the Irish Sea, including Heysham and Liverpool....
.
Former fleet consists of: and , formerly used for freight and livestock to Orkney and Shetland, sailing from Aberdeen. They were sold in 2010 and 2011 both replaced by both and .
Ferries on the Aberdeen route have onboard cinemas and occasional live entertainment.