Hydrofoil Hiatus as Orkney/UK Government-funded lifeline electric ferry is ‘beset by issues’, lasts only one year and is now four months into repairs with no sign of return – Islanders must be furious and leaving for the mainland surely?

https://orcadian.co.uk/electric-hydrofoil-vessel-to-return-to-belfast-in-latest-blow-to-15m-project/
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I couldn’t help noticing today, the 6 month delay so far of an electric hydrofoil ferry to Isle of Wight service. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/26560859.red-funnel-aims-launch-new-isle-wight-ferry-2029/

I was instantly reminded of this story and wondered if there had been any return of the above to service in Orkney.

There is no sign of that after four months. In May 2026:

Needless to say the BBC Scotland report on this plays the whole thing down and makes no accusations at all: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgpj13p5x1o

The Orcadian is less restrained, with:

Electric hydrofoil vessel to return to Belfast in latest blow to £15m project.

Just over a year since electric hydrofoil ferry, Zevi 1, arrived in Orkney, the vessel is now to return to Belfast in the latest delay to the £15 million project to cut maritime carbon emissions.

It has emerged this week that Zevi 1 will undergo a “system upgrade” at a facility in Belfast owned by its developers, Artemis Technologies.

It is unclear when the vessel will arrive back in Orkney — with the project partners now working to agree a “suitable timeline” once the upgrades are complete. It is just the latest delay to hit a project and vessel beset by issues since its arrival in May, 2025.

Electric hydrofoil vessel to return to Belfast in latest blow to £15m project

None of the above highlighted phrases appear in the BBC Scotland report which allows the manufacturer to claim:

Artemis Technologies chief executive officer Iain Percy told BBC Radio Orkney the boat needed a software upgrade and some technical modifications.

“The main thing we are doing is bringing the boat back to tune its alarm systems,” he said.

“If we compare it to a car, we all know what it’s like getting a low tyre pressure warning light.

“It’s nothing fundamental and the upgrade won’t take too long.”

Really? If it’s just like a low tyre pressure light warning of the kind I get if I go too fast over a speed bump, why is it being recalled? A member of staff in Orkney could reset that. It looks to be much more serious, a safety concern, if they recall it.

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