News and Updates

We regret to advise that the 0745 arrival at Houton on Tuesday 9th December could be delayed, this is due to an engine issue which will affect the operating speed of the vessel.

Passengers with onwards travel by bus should be aware that this may impact on connectivity.

Engineers will attend the vessel at Houton on arrival, to assist with repairs.

Updates will be provided as soon as they are available.

We would like to advise customers that the 1520 PM sailing to Sanday and Eday on Tuesday 9th December is under review.

A decision will be made at 0700 on Tuesday morning with a more up to date forecast, updates will be provided as soon as available.

All sailings on the above service are under review on Wednesday 10th December due forecasted weather and tidal conditions.

All sailings on the above service are under review on Wednesday 10th December due forecasted weather and tidal conditions.

We regret to advise customers that due to forecasted weather and tidal conditions, the last departure on the above service tomorrow will depart Houton at 10:15 calling at Lyness and Flotta before the service will terminate for the day

Therefore, all remaining sailings are cancelled

We would like to advise passengers that the 16:00 and 18:00 departures to and subsequent returns from Moaness tomorrow are under review.

This is due to forecasted weather and swell conditions.

Sailings to Graemsay are unaffected.

We would like to advise passengers that due to forecasted weather and tidal conditions there may be disruptions to our Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre services, as follows:

Tuesday 9^th December, the 18:30 departure to Egilsay and Wyre is under review.

Wednesday 10^th December, ALL sailings are under review.

Thursday 11^th December, the 06:50 departure to Egilsay and Wyre is under review.

Updates will be provided on receipt of latest forecasts.

Please be advised that current forecasts indicate the possibility of disruption across all of our services from the afternoon of Tuesday 9th December through to the morning of Thursday 11th December.

Please be advised that current forecasts indicate the possibility of disruption across all of our services from the afternoon of Tuesday 9th December through to the morning of Thursday 11th December.

We regret to advise customers that all sailings on the Nordic Sea for the afternoon of Tuesday 9th December are cancelled … Additionally, all Nordic Sea sailing on Wednesday 10th of December are also cancelled

This is due to forecasted weather and tidal conditions

We would like to advise that the 09:15 and 16:00 departures from Pierowall to Papa Westray and subsequent returns are under review.

This is due to the forecasted wind and tidal conditions.

We regret to advise customers that after further investigation of the reported engine issues on the Hoy Head, repairs are now anticipated to take an additional week with an expected return to service by the 22nd December.

This means that the Thorsvoe will be in service for an additional week and capacity will be reduced.

We have contacted all passengers whose bookings have been affected by the change in vessel.

Bookings for the week commencing 15^th December are open for online and over the phone bookings and we recommend those travelling with a vehicle to book in advance.

We would like to advise that the Nordic Sea will be providing a foot passenger service to Eday Sanday and Stronsay over the winter months.

The timetable is available here or in our Kirkwall Office, and can be booked online or over the phone.

This service will run from Monday 20th October to Saturday 28th December.

Orkney Ferries offers customers a way to receive disruption and cancellation messages to a smart phone or computer via Telegram.

Telegram is a free and simple messaging app with a focus on speed and security.

You can use Telegram on smartphones, tablets, and even computers. It’s very easy to use and only requires a name and mobile phone number to create an account.

To receive updates from please download the Telegram app from your app store, set up your account and then return to this page and select our unique link, which you can access by clicking here - Orkney Ferries Telegram Channel

Once on the channel you will be messaged with any updates on disruptions or cancellations in real time.

- Please note, Telegram is an internationally used social media site/app meaning users may be suspect to receiving spam messages from unknown accounts. When creating a profile to join our channel, be sure to set your Privacy and Security settings to limit Invites and Forwarded Messages.