Countdown to NorthLink

July 1997 - Scottish Executive award contract to operate ferry services to and from Orkney and Shetland until 2002 to P&O Scottish Ferries, and £11 million subsidy to go with it

July 1998 - Scottish Office Minister of State Henry McLeish confirms that Caledonian MacBrayne will be allowed to tender for the new Orkney and Shetland ferry contract. He indicates that the Government would prefer to see new vessels being built to serve the Northern Isles

April 1999 - Orkney Ferries ruled out of tendering process, by bidding for Pentland Firth route only, and not all Orkney and Shetland services

October 1999 - Scottish Executive issue draft specification for future pattern of ferry services between Orkney and Shetland. Six companies invited to bid for contract - P&O Scottish Ferries; Caledonian MacBrayne/Partners; Red Funnel (Southampton, Isle of Wight South of England Steam Packet plc); Sea Containers Ltd; Serco Denholm Ltd and Stagecoach Holdings plc

December 1999 - Scottish Executive Transport Minister Sarah Boyack announces shortlisted tenderers - P&O Scottish Ferries; Sea Containers Ltd; Serco Denholm Ltd and Caledonian MacBrayne. Speficied that Pentland Firth crossing should take no longer than 90 minutes. CalMac project manager John Horton pays a visit to Orkney

Spring 2000 - Scottish Executive insist that three new purpose-built ships will be minimum number of vessels required to serve Orkney and Shetland

August 2000 - Scottish Executive anticipate delay in the handover date and look at the possibility of extending existing contract with P&O Scottish Ferries from April to October 2002

October 2000 - Caledonian MacBrayne/Royal Bank of Scotland joint venture company known as NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries announced as ‘preferred bidder’ to operate Northern Isles routes from October 2002

December 2000 – It is revealed that subsidies for the Orkney and Shetland routes will reduce from £10.7 million to £7.8 million during NorthLink’s five-year contract

December 2000 - Scottish Executive confirm that the contract to operate ferry services to and from Orkney and Shetland to go to NorthLink

January 2001 - NorthLink announce that three new ships to serve the Northern Isles routes will be built at a shipyard in Finland

May 2001 - NorthLink reveal groundbreaking “cassette” livestock handling system

July 2001 - Former chief executive of Orkney Tourist Board, Gareth Crichton, appointed as commercial director of NorthLink July 2001 - Costs for new terminals at Hatston and Stromness put at £17 million. ERDF grant of £2.5 million offered towards the joint pier project

July 2001 - Following consultation and strong representations from the farming community in Orkney, NorthLink agree to a Monday sailing to carry livestock out of Orkney

August 2001 - Vessel names chosen, after a public competition to suggest alternatives

October 2001 - Keel-laying and metal cutting of Hjaltland and Hrossey ferries

November 2001 - Work starts on construction of Stromness-Scrabster ferry Hamnavoe

December 2001 - NorthLink announce commercial tariffs for their proposed service

January 2002 - Launch of new marketing initiative - Viking Island Holidays - by NorthLink in association with tourist boards in Orkney and Shetland

January 2002 - NorthLink purchase a fourth vessel to carry livestock and freight. The 30-year-old former Scandinavian freight ship will be converted before coming into service

February 2002 - Severe storms cause damage to sheet piling being put in at new terminal at Scrabster, on two separate occasions

March 2002 - Cost estimates for Hatston and Stromness terminals revised upwards, by over £4 million, to £21.05 million. Hatston works are five weeks behind