The company is owned by the and was established in 1960 as the Orkney Islands Shipping Company.[1]
In 1991, the Orkney Islands Shipping Company acquired a private sector ferry company also called Orkney Ferries, which had been established to compete on the short crossing from the Scottish mainland to the Orkney Islands, but which had not succeeded in establishing the route. This company’s ferry was assimilated into the inter-island fleet, and in 1995 the Orkney Islands Shipping Company adopted the name Orkney Ferries. Despite this acquisition and change of name, the current Orkney Ferries does not operate services to and from the Scottish mainland, leaving this to other operators