Northern Isles Ferry Services 4

We will continue to deliver a ferry service to connect island and communities off the north coast of Scotland with the mainland when the current Northern Isles Ferry Services contract (NIFS3) expires on 30 June 2028.

The next iteration of this service (NIFS4) will continue to deliver these essential connections between Orkney, Shetland and the mainland. NIFS4 will ensure the continued delivery of a reliable, resilient ferry provision delivering to the needs of islanders, businesses and visitors alike.

The Northern Isles Ferry Services play a crucial role in our transport system, providing vital links for residents, businesses, and tourists across the north coast of Scotland.

We are committed to ensuring that the views and perspectives of communities and key stakeholders are considered and reflected upon to help inform and shape the detail within the next NIFS contract.

A public consultation was published on 22 July 2025 and runs for 12 weeks, closing on 13 October 2025.

All public consultation responses will be analysed, and an executive summary and full analysis report will be made available to view.

If you wish to provide further feedback on the new contract, please contact us at ferriesnifs4team@transport.gov.scot.s

Alongside the public consultation for the Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIFS4), eight community drop-in sessions were held across Orkney and Shetland during September 2025.   

The sessions provided:

• Information on current work of the Transport Scotland Ferries Teams, and specifically the work underway to deliver the next iteration of the Northern Isles Ferry Service (NIFS4)
• Opportunities for communities to ask questions about our work
• An interactive opportunity to provide feedback on key themes in relation to the Northern Isles Ferry Services such as; overnight accommodation, cost and freight.

These sessions provided an opportunity to discuss the lived-experiences and views of passengers using the Northern Isles Ferry Service, this feedback is being considered alongside responses to the ongoing public consultation to help inform the contract development for NIFS4.

If you would like to view the slides used at the sessions, please contact FerriesNIFS4Team@transport.gov.scot.

Will local communities and key stakeholders been involved in the contract development process?

Local communities and key stakeholders will be actively involved in the development process for the next NIFS contract. Transport Scotland is continuing to engage with key stakeholder groups about the future of ferry services and the next NIFS contract. This engagement will continue throughout the life of the contract.

How have you engaged with local communities and stakeholders?

Officials have carried out a series of public engagement sessions during September 2025 in Orkney and Shetland, and a public consultation on the NIFS4 contract was launched in July 2025 to gather the views and suggestions of local communities for potential ferry service improvements.

Will communities still have an opportunity to feed back after the contract goes live?

Transport Scotland will continue to engage with communities and key stakeholders after the contract goes live to ensure their views continue to be considered as the contract evolves.