NorthLink Ferries - MV Hjaltland moored at Aberdeen Harbour

Filmed on Monday 5 October 2020.

The NorthLink Ferries vessel MV Hjaltland is seen moored in Aberdeen Harbour.



NorthLink Ferries (also referred to as Serco 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.


NorthLink operates two passenger 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.

Currently the NorthLink fleet consists of:


MV Hamnavoe, on the Pentland Firth route, 112 m long
MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey, sister ships, on the Aberdeen to Lerwick via Kirkwall route, 125 m long both in service since 2002
MS Hildasay and MS Helliar, sister ships, used for freight and livestock to Orkney and Shetland, sailing from Aberdeen.

Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland purchased all of the ferries used by Northlink during the 2018-19 financial year. They are managed by Scottish Government corporation Caledonian Maritime Assets

Former fleet consists of:

MV Hascosay and MV Clare, formerly used for freight and livestock to Orkney and Shetland, sailing from Aberdeen. They were sold in 2010 and 2011 both replaced by both MS Hildasay and MS Helliar.

Ferries on the Aberdeen route have onboard cinemas and occasional live entertainment.


MV Hjaltland is a NorthLink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. She operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland.


Name: MV Hjaltland
Namesake: Old Norse name for Shetland
Owner: 2002-2004: NorthLink Orkney & Shetland Ferries Limited; 2004-2012: RBS - RBSSAF (20) Limited; 2012-2018: previous owner renamed Northern Isles Ferries Limited; 2018-present Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
Operator: NorthLink Ferries
Port of registry: Lerwick, United Kingdom
Route: Aberdeen to Lerwick via Kirkwall
Builder: Aker Finnyards in Rauma, Finland
Cost: £35 million
Yard number: NB438
Laid down: 4 October 2001
In service: 1 October 2002
Identification: IMO number: 9244958; MMSI number: 235450000; Callsign: VSTY8
Status: In service
Class and type: +100 A 1, Ro-Ro Cargo/Passenger Ferry + LMC, UMS, LI, NAV1
Tonnage: 11,720 GT; 1,831 t DWT
Displacement: 7,434 tonnes
Length: 125 m (410 ft)
Beam: 20 m (66 ft)
Draught: 5.4 m (18 ft)
Decks: 8
Installed power: 4 x MAK 6M43 5400 kW each
Propulsion: 2 CP propellers and 2 bow thrusters
Speed: 24 kn (44 km/h)
Capacity: 600 passengers (117 cabins); 140 cars (650m)
Crew: 33



MV Hjaltland and her sister ship, MV Hrossey, were constructed in 2002 at Aker Finnyards in Finland.
Layout

MV Hjaltland carries passengers, cars, freight and livestock. There are a choice of restaurants, bars and lounges, children's play area and a cinema. The restaurants and lounges have a total seating capacity of 600. The original 100 cabins had a total of 300 beds. All cabins are en-suite, most being two berth, with a number of four-berth cabins for families. In April 2007, an additional accommodation module was fitted in Birkenhead, increasing her capacity to 356 berths. The ship is fitted with lifts and was built to accommodate disabled passengers throughout. There are 10 officer and 28 crew cabins.

Each pair of diesel engines drives a controllable-pitch propeller through a gearbox. There are two rudders, two 900 kW bow thrusters and two Mitsubishi stabilisers.


MV Hjaltland operates between Lerwick and Aberdeen, with a call at Kirkwall on some days. A walkway, built specifically for the current vessels, can take both foot and car passengers. She is also able to relieve on the Stromness to Scrabster crossing.


In August 2012, a man died after falling overboard into the North Sea about 20 miles (30 kilometres) north of Fraserburgh.

On 23 August 2013, MV Hjaltland was diverted from its normal route to assist with search and rescue efforts following the crash of a Super Puma helicopter 2 mi (3 km) off the Shetland coast close to Sumburgh. The ferry was later used to transport the bodies of three of the crash victims to Aberdeen.

On 9 September 2013, a passenger went missing from the boat during a sailing from Lerwick to Aberdeen. No body was ever recovered despite a major air and sea search.