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| Type | Public (State-Owned) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Kirkwall, Scotland, UK |
| Area served | Pentland Firth, Orkney and Shetland |
| Industry | Transport |
| Services | Ferries |
| Owner(s) | Scottish Ministers |
| Parent | David MacBrayne Ltd |
| Website | http://www.northlinkferries.co.uk |
NorthLink Ferries operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. NorthLink Ferries is a wholly owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, whose sole shareholder is the Scottish Executive.
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Services
NorthLink Ferries operates two routes:
- Scrabster to Stromness, Orkney (90 minutes)
- Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland (12 hours 30 minutes northbound; 12 hours southbound). Some services also call at Kirkwall, Orkney, which increases the journey time by 2 hours.
Fleet
Currently the NorthLink fleet consists of:
- MV Hamnavoe, on the Scrabster route, 112m long
- MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey, sister ships, on the Aberdeen route, 125m long
- MV Hascosay and MV Clare, used for freight and livestock to Orkney and Shetland, sailing from Aberdeen
Ferries on the Aberdeen route have onboard cinemas and occasional live entertainment.
 MV Hrossey leaving Kirkwall |
 MV Hrossey in front of St Magnus Cathedral |
 MV Hamnavoe docked at Scrabster Harbour |
History
The subsidised Northern Isles ferry services, previously run by P&O Scottish Ferries were put out to tender in 1999. A joint venture between Caledonian MacBrayne and the Royal Bank of Scotland 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, which put in the lower bid and won the tender. Caledonian MacBrayne formed a company named NorthLink Ferries Limited which began operating the Northern Isles ferry services on 6 July 2006.[1]
References
- ^ Alan Rehfisch (2007). "Ferry Services in Scotland" (pdf). SPICe Briefing. Scottish Parliament Information Centre. http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/briefings-07/SB07-56.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
External links
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