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Shetland Islands Council
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of the ferries of Shetland Islands Council.
An alphabetical list of ships
shown on this page is shown below. Below this is a
Fleet List
in chronological order.
Thanks to John-ward Phillips for images and notes used on this page.
Route map of Shetland Islands ferries
Ships on This Page:-
Bigga
(1991- )
Brenda
(193x-19xx)
Dagalien
(2004- )
Daggri
(2004- )
Filla (1)
(1983-2003)
- renamed
Snolda
Filla (2)
(2003- )
Fivla (1)
(1975-1985)
Fivla (2)
(1985- )
Fylga
(1975- )
Hendra
(1982- )
Geira (1)
(1973-1986)
Geira (2)
(1988- )
Good Shepherd III
(1974-1986)
- renamed
Koada
Good Shepherd IV
(1986- )
Grima
(1974-2004)
Kjella
(1980-1998)
Koada
(1986- )
- ex-
Good Shepherd III
Leirna
(1992- )
Linga
(2002- )
New Advance
(1996- )
Snolda
(2003- )
- ex-
Filla (1)
Thora
(1975- )
Westering Homewards
(1991)
- sold and now
Moder-Dy
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Shetland Islands Council
Brenda
(193x-19xx)
Brenda
(a girls name, a trend that followed on to the ro-ro ferries) was built locally in the mid 1930s and is still in use today as a work boat for the Malakoff ship repairer in Lerwick.
Three generations of Bressay ferries -
Leirna
,
Grima
and
Brenda
.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Click to open larger image in new window
Fivla (1)
(1973-1985)
Fivla (1)
was built in the Faroe Islands.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Geira (1)
(1973-1986)
Like the
Fivla (1)
, the
Geira (1)
was built in the Faroe Islands and entered service on the Bluemull Sound crossing between Gutcher (Yell) and Belmont (Unst) on 20th November 1973 replacing the locally owned launch,
Tystie
which transferred to the Bressay service. She remained the regular vessel on this crossing and also served Oddsta (Fetlar) from November 1974 She was sold to the Orkney Islands Shipping Company in April 1986, becoming the third
Hoy Head
before being sold to owners in Ramsgate for survey work under the name
Task One
.
Photograph as
Hoy Head
.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Good Shepherd III
(Fair Isle: 1974-1986)
Koada
(SIC: 1986-2004)
The
Good Shepherd III
was originally an inshore trawler which had been owned since 1972 by the islanders of Fair Isle and which had maintained the regular island service. In 1984, the SIC announced their intention to replace her with a new vessel and to transfer her to the Foula service, although she did, in fact end up serving Papa Stour. In February 1985, the new Fair Isle ship was ordered from James Miller &: Son of St. Monans and she was named the
Good Shepherd IV
. The
Good Shepherd III
was subsequently renamed
Koada
(a sea stack of the island of Papa Stour). She operated between West Burrafirth (Mainland) and Papa Stour until 2004 (operation to Foula having ceased following the delivery of the
New Advance
). Car carrying capacity used occasionally. Sold to Olaf Isbister of Shetland in 2004 for use as a charter vessel. She has since been sold again to ’Herrislea House Workboats’ of Tingwall, and is to be used delivering fish food to inshore fish farms around the Shetland coast,
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Koada
at Scalloway on the Thursday 13th July
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Click to open larger image in new window
Grima
(1974-2004)
Built at Bideford, Devon, in 1974, the
Grima
, after entering service in the North Isles, was chartered in February 1975, by the former North Company to replace the
Earl of Zetland
on the route from Lerwick to Whalsay until a full roll on - roll off service came into operation on 2nd February 1976, under the control of Shetland Islands Council. The
Grima
then transferred to the Bressay service, replacing the
Fivla
, where she became the regular vessel until the introduction of the
Leirna
in 1992.
Grima
was sold in 2004 to Manson marine of Lerwick.
Grima
is a sister of the
Fylga
and the
Thora
,
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Three generations of Bressay ferries -
Leirna
, Grima
and
Brenda
.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Click to open larger image in new window
Fylga
(1975-2003)
Fylga
was built in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands, and is a sister of the
Grima
and the
Thora
. She was used on the Bluemull Sound service, but was withdrawn in 2005 and laid up and offered for sale.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Shetland inter-isle ferry
Fylga
now in the ownership of MMW welding of Lerwick, ruthlessly modified into a workboat.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips, 14th June 2006 in the Morrison dock, Lerwick
Click to open larger image in new window
Thora
(1975- )
Thora
was the fifth of the original vessels and was also built in the Faero Islands, arriving in Lerwick on 12th September 1975. Her regular service saw her become the second vessel on the Yellsound crossing, entering service on 5th April 1976. However, the requirement for winter relief vessels elsewhere, the double provision at Yellsound was only available in summer, until the arrival sixth ferry in 1980. A sister of the
Fylga
and the
Grima
,
Thora
is a spare vessel in 2006.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Kjella
(1980-1998)
Kjella
(pronounced Sheila - Norwegian spelling) was bought as a stop gap vessel having been acquired from the Norwegian operators A/S Torghatten Trafikselskap. She had been built in 1957 by Kaarbos MY NS of Norway for service in Bronnoysund. After an extensive refit at Maaloy, the 163 gross ton vessel arrived at Lerwick on 10th July 1980 and became the regular vessel on the Whalsay service from Laxo, releasing the
Fylga
and permitting a two ship operation on the Yellsound crossings all year round.
With capacity for 12 cars and 63 passengers, she retained her original name,
Kjella
when she took up service in Shetland. She operated until the arrival of new tonnage, and continued as the second Whalsay ship until April 1998 but, with her steelwork deteriorating after 41 years of service,
she was sold to Babcock of Rosyth for scrapping in October 1998.
Kjella
before modifications for Shetland service.
Photo: © Shetland Islands Council
Kjella
in Shetland service.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Click to open larger image in new window
Hendra
(1982- )
The new vessel for the Whalsay service was named
Hendra
(named after councillor William Hendry, councillor for the island of Whalsay) and was built by McTay Marine of Bromborough in 1982. Her delivery voyage from the Mersey saw her stormbound at Stromness for five days but she eventually commenced service on 30th November 1982, releasing the
Fivla
which was sold, and the
Fylga
which transferred to Yellsound. With a car capacity of 18 and a gross tonnage of 225, the
Hendra
, was the largest vessel in the SIC fleet until the arrival of the
Leirna
in 1993. She is now a regular on the Whalsay service although Vidlin is used as the mainland terminal in preference to Laxo, under certain conditions.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Filla (1)
(1983-2003)
Snolda
(2003- )
The new ferry
Filla (1)
for the Skerries service was built by the Iversen shipyard at Flekkefjbrd, Norway and her inauguration took place on 28th November 1983. The
Filla (1)
(a Norwegian girls name) has capacity for 20 passengers in summer, 12 in winter, and she can carry 6 cars although she is used on freight services around Shetland when not engaged on her regular Skerries service from Vidlin or Lerwick. In appearance she resembles a small scale oil rig supply vessel, being of only 130 gross tons. She has a stern ramp, a hold and a strengthened deck with flush hatches to carry a lorry and she was fitted with a larger crane in 1998. On her introduction, in 1983, the
Spes Clara
became spare vessel. Following delivery of the
Filla (2)
in 2003, she was renamed
Snolda
(a sea stack to the south of Papa Stour) and will be upgraded to take over the Papa Stour service, and wears the SIC new livery.
Photograph as
Snolda.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Fivla (2)
(1985- )
Fivla (2)
was built by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Co of Troon, and is used on the Bluemull Sound route.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
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Geira (2)
(1988- )
Geira (2)
was built by Richard Dunston of Hessle. She was used on the Laxo-Symbyster route until replaced by
Hendra
in 2005 and moved to the Bluemull Sound route.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Click to open larger image in new window
Good Shepherd IV
(1986- )
The
Good Shepherd III
was originally an inshore trawler which had been owned since 1972 by the islanders of Fair Isle and which had maintained the regular island service. In 1984, the SIC announced their intention to replace her with a new vessel and to transfer her to the Foula service, although she did, in fact end up serving Papa Stour. In February 1985, the new Fair Isle ship was ordered from James Miller &: Son of St. Monans and she was named the
Good Shepherd IV
. Assembled at the Fife yard, but prefabricated by McTay Marine at Bromborough, she made her maiden voyage to Fair Isle on 24th May 1986. Capable of carrying only 1 car, which is craned on and off, and 12 passengers, this sturdy vessel is the main link between Fair Isle and Grutness, and she also makes Lerwick calls in summer.
Good Shepherd III
was subsequently renamed
Koada
and took up service between West Burrafirth and Papa Stour, but she became involved in the Foula saga.
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Photo: © John-ward Phillips
Click to open larger image in new window