 | |
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | NorthLink Ferries |
| Headquarters | Aberdeen, |
| Services | Passenger transportation Freight transportation |
| Parent | P&O |
P&O Scottish Ferries ran ferry services between the Scottish mainland and Orkney and Shetland from 1971 to 2002.
P&O took over the routes from the long-established North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company in 1971. They branded their services "P&O Ferries" from 1975 to 1989 and "P&O Scottish Ferries" thereafter.
The services were taken over by NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries in 2002. [1]
They sailed from Aberdeen to Stromness and Lerwick, and from Scrabster to Stromness.
In keeping with the tradition of the company which preceded them on the route, their vessels were (with one or two exceptions) named after saints, such as the St Clair and the St Magnus.
At the end of operations in 2002, the company had four vessels covering the routes:
Fair Isle, sometimes Fairisle, is an island in Shetland, in northern Scotland. It lies about halfway between mainland Shetland and Orkney. The most remote inhabited island in the United Kingdom, it is known for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting. The island has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1954.
Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre, is Kirkwall.
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
Stromness is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital.
Lerwick is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010.
The Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections.
The Northern Isles are a pair of archipelagos off the north coast of mainland Scotland, comprising Orkney and Shetland. They are part of Scotland, as are the Hebrides. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are a total of 36 inhabited islands. The landscapes of the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrast with the more rugged Shetland islands to the north, where the economy is more dependent on fishing and on the oil wealth of the surrounding seas. Both island groups have a developing renewable energy industry. Both have a Pictish and Norse history. Both were part of the Kingdom of Norway until they were absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century. They remained part of it until the 1707 formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the 1801 formation of the United Kingdom. They both played a significant naval role during the world wars of the 20th century.
The transport system in Scotland is generally well-developed. The Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.
NorthLink Ferries is an operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, as well as ferry services, between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. Since July 2012, it has been operated by international services company Serco.
The Ve Skerries or Vee Skerries are a group of low skerries three miles (4.8 km) north west of Papa Stour, on the west coast of Shetland, Scotland. They define the southwest perimeter of St Magnus Bay.
SS St. Sunniva was one of the first purpose-built cruise ships. Converted into a ferry in 1908, she operated as the Lerwick mail steamer until 10 April 1930, when she ran aground off Shetland and was a complete loss.
The North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company, which was more usually known as The North of Scotland or The North Company, its full name rarely being used, was a UK shipping company based in Aberdeen, originally formed in 1875 from a merger of older Scottish shipping companies. The company operated most of the ferries from mainland Scotland to Orkney and Shetland, latterly as P&O Scottish Ferries until 2002, when it was replaced by NorthLink Ferries.
MV Hamnavoe is a car and passenger ferry, built in 2002 and operated by NorthLink Ferries across the Pentland Firth from the mainland of Scotland to the Orkney Islands.
MV Hjaltland is a NorthLink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. She operates the daily service from mainland Scotland to Orkney and Shetland.
MV Hrossey is a NorthLink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. With her sister ship, MV Hjaltland, she operates a daily ferry service between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland.
Shetland Islands Council Ferries is a company operating inter-island ferry services in Shetland, a subarctic archipelago off the northeast coast of Scotland. The company operates services across 10 of the Shetland islands.
Allied Airways was a UK airline based at Aberdeen, Scotland. Formed in 1934 as Aberdeen Airways it was taken over by British European Airways in 1947.
Robert Nisbet (1834–1917) was a Shetland sea captain. He was born on 15 October 1834 at Burravoe on the island of Yell, Shetland. He died on 3 May 1917 at Leith, Scotland.
SS Ben Doran was a steam fishing trawler that operated out of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was launched in 1900 and operated until its wrecking on the Ve Skerries, Shetland, on 29 March 1930, which claimed the lives of the full crew, believed to number nine crew members. Its wrecking has been called "the most tragic wreck in all Shetland's history".
Highland Airways Limited was established in Inverness, Scotland, by Ted Fresson in 1933 to provide passenger and freight air services between the Scottish mainland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, and between their islands. The airline was taken over by Scottish Airways, absorbed by British European Airways in 1947.
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