News and Updates

We would like to advise that we will attempt to complete a cargo sailing to North Ronaldsay on Sunday.

This service will remain under review.

A decision will be made on Sunday morning on receipt of the updated forecasts.

We would like to advise that we will attempt to complete a cargo sailing to Papa Westray on Saturday.

This service will remain under review.

A decision will be made on Saturday morning on receipt of the updated forecasts.

Please be advised that all sailings to and from Lyness on Friday 30th January will be attempted but there will be no guarantee that berthing will be possible.

This is due to unfavourable wind directions and swell conditions at Lyness pier.

We would like to advise passengers that tomorrow’s cargo sailing to North Ronaldsay has been cancelled

This is due to forecasted weather and tidal conditions

We would like to advise passengers that the 13:30 sailing today and 06:15 sailing tomorrow morning on the Nordic Sea have been cancelled

This is due to forecasted weather and tidal conditions

Sunday’s sailing is under review and an update will be provided when available

We regret to advise passengers that the Papa Westray cargo service has been cancelled.

This is due to forecasted weather conditions.

We are currently looking into alternative options, updates will be provided when available.

We regret to advise passengers that the 0910 Rousay to Egilsay sailing this morning is cancelled ⛔️⛴️

We also regret to advise passengers that the Rousay to Tingwall will run to timetable until 1150 where the service will terminate in Rousay at 1210 for the day and all other sailing for the day are cancelled. ⛔️⛴️

This is due to the forecasted weather conditions 💨🌊

For more information, please visit our website and social media channels 📲💻

We would like to advise passengers that all sailings between Pierowall & Papa Westray on Saturday 31st January are under review.

This is due to forecasted weather and tidal conditions.

Updates will be provided when available.

We regret to advise passengers that all sailings between Pierowall & Papa Westray on Friday 30th January have been cancelled.

This is due to ongoing forecasted weather and tidal conditions.

We would like to advise customers that the 16:00 departure for Eday Sanday and Stronsay has been brought forwards by 2 hours.

Sailing times will be as follows;

Depart Kirkwall 1400

Arrive Eday 1515

Depart Eday 1530

Arrive Sanday 1550

Depart Sanday 1600

Arrive Stronsay 1635

Depart Stronsay 1645

Arrive Kirkwall 1825

This is due to forecast wind and swell conditions.

Our team will be in touch with booked customers later this morning.

We regret to advise passengers that all sailings to & from Moaness on Friday 30th January are cancelled.

This is due to forecasted weather & tidal conditions.

All passengers have been contacted.

Please be advised that due to forecasted weather conditions, all sailings to and from Egilsay on Friday 30th January are under review.

For the latest updates, head to our website or social media feeds.

We would like to advise passengers that the Nordic Sea service on Saturday 31st January is under review.

This is due to forecasted weather & tidal conditions.

Updates will be provided on receipt of the latest forecasts.

We would like to advise passengers that all Nordic Sea sailings on Friday 30th January are currently under review.

This is due to forecasted weather conditions.

Updates will follow as forecasts arrive.

We would like to advise passengers that Sunday’s sailing to Eday, Sanday and Stronsay has been brought forward.

This service will now sail to the following times:

Depart Kirkwall – 15:10

Arrive Eday – 16:25

Depart Eday – 16:40

Arrive Sanday – 17:00

Depart Sanday – 17:10

Arrive Stronsay – 17:45

Depart Stronsay – 17:55

Arrive Kirkwall – 20:00

The changes to sailing times are due to the forecasted conditions and the need to clear a backlog created by the ongoing adverse weather conditions.

Current forecasts indicate that disruption to services may continue into next week due to wind speed and direction.

Please see our website and social media channels for all information related to disruption to sailings over the coming week.

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 until Saturday 7th March.

We are happy to announce that our summer timetables from the 3rd May – 27th September 2026 are now open for bookings through our offices or online booking system.

We are happy to announce that our summer timetables from the 3rd May – 27th September 2026 are now open for bookings through our offices or online booking system.

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.