Earl-Thorfinn

The "Earl Thorfinn" berthed in Kirkwall on Sep 15, 2018, at 2 p.m. to undergo repairs following a mechanical failure onboard the vessel. The ship had suffered a bow thruster breakdown in the afternoon of Sep 14. It was hoped the vessel would be able to return to normal service later this week. In the meantime, Orkney Ferries was working hard to accommodate all booked passengers throughout the period of disruption. This involved some combined sailings and changes to departure and arrival times.

Orkney Ferries hoped to have the "Earl Thorfinn" which suffered from bow visor problems back operating normally in the near future. For some time now, the bow visor on the "Earl Thorfinn" has been out of operation, which has meant that vehicles have had to reverse on or off the ferries. The visor suffered failures some months ago which required a detailed investigation as well as redesign and repair, to prevent the recurrence of problems. This has including the redesign and fitting of stronger hydraulic rams to both ships during refit earlier in 2014. Changes to the hydraulic control system have also been ordered and should be fitted to the vessel within the next two weeks. A contributing factor in the length of the process has been the requirement for the entire system with its new components to be approved and certified by the regulatory authorities. It was expected that final approval to use the upgraded systems will be given in the next week. Once approval is received and the hydraulic control system is fitted, normal double ended operations will recommence.