NorthLink got into financial difficulties with the service

Transport Minister Tavish Scott said it would be February before the contract was awarded and the handover would not happen until early summer.

Caledonian MacBrayne and V Ships are competing to run the lifeline routes.

The Scottish Executive was forced to tender the service early after current operators, NorthLink, got into financial difficulties.

Alternative services

More than �78m of public money has been spent keeping ferry services to the Northern Isles afloat, more than double the originally agreed subsidy.

Earlier this month, MSPs quizzed the public spending watchdog Audit Scotland over a report into the NorthLink services.

Auditor General Robert Black said NorthLink had run into difficulties after two other firms started providing alternative services.

He said the competition, combined with higher than expected costs, led to NorthLink's financial problems.