Hamnavoe back in service

The Serco NorthLink Ferries ship Hamnavoe made a welcome return to Stromness last night, Thursday, complete with new livery.

The ship left dry dock in Birkenhead on Wednesday and arrived back in Orkney in time to restart her duties on the Pentland Firth today, Friday.

Speaking just before the ship arrived back in Orkney waters, Stuart Garrett, managing director at Serco NorthLink Ferries, said: “We are thoroughly looking forward to the Hamnavoe’s return to service, particularly given that externally she has truly been transformed. A key element to the new livery is to excite potential tourists about the history and culture of the Northern Isles.

“The huge Viking image on the Hamnavoe is designed to make an impact so that people choose the Northern Isles and NorthLink Ferries for their next holiday.”

“We are, of course, committed to continuous improvement across our fleet and as part of this we are looking at enhancing the Hamnavoe’s current offering with the trial of an onboard lounge. We will endeavour to keep passengers updated on progress and would encourage those travelling to feedback on this added service.”

Serco NorthLink Ferries will be hosting a community event in the coming weeks as a means of showcasing the new look fleet.

The Hjaltland is the second to be rebranded and so will be out of service the first couple of weeks in February.

The new NorthLink Ferries brand was launched in spring 2013.

The new livery marks the final stage of the roll out, and will be completed as part of the scheduled repainting and maintenance of the vessels.