CalMac: 'Mood changes' on islands as food and gas deliveries delayed and 'Blitz spirit' wanes
The crisis at CalMac has tested island resolve on Coll and Tiree after months of disruption to ferry services
Islanders say they can no longer live in ‘Blitz spirit’ mode and have called for the immediate return of their CalMac ferry following months of unreliable service which has led to delays in receiving gas and food supplies.
The impact of current crisis at CalMac, which is struggling to deliver timetables given the large number of ferries which have suffered breakdowns or are undergoing planned maintenance, is being sorely felt in the Inner Hebrides.
Community councils on Coll and Tiree have sent a joint open letter to CalMac Chief Executive, Duncan Mackison, demanding the immediate return of the Clansman on the sailing route between the islands and Oban. The vessel is working between Skye and the Uists at present to plug gaps in service there.
Islanders say the replacement vessels for Coll and Tiree are not equipped to navigate the sea states, weather conditions or exposed berths around the islands. As a result the ferry ran without disruption, cancellation or weather alert on only one day between the beginning of the month and April 23.
In March, only 57% of scheduled services were delivered, according to CalMac’s own statistics, the poorest weather-impacted performance in the entire network.
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In the letter, residents warned that the “mood had changed” on the islands in the past week given loss of service due to staff rest days and subsequent delays in a food delivery from Oban. An annual delivery of Calor gas did arrive on Friday, after at least three attempts of trying, with some residents running out of the fuel amid the delays.
The letter said: “The patience of our communities, after years of putting up with similar damaging levels of (dis)service, has now run out. The mood has changed this week.
“The MV Clansman is allocated to this route and we are requesting that CalMac bring her back here without delay. Other communities, mostly with far more on-island services and alternative ferry routes or travel options, have not been slow to make similar demands of CalMac, they have been listened to and so now we expect the same.
“The corrosive socio-economic damage to Coll and Tiree has to stop. Our route vessel has been removed for long enough.”
Residents say that they can no longer live in survival mode.
Kirsty MacFarlane of Coll Community Council said confidence has plummeted and the mood on both islands has now changed, from “one of annual forbearance with CalMac’s problems, to anger about how the limited service is being run as well as the unsuitable ships”.
She added: “Contrary to what politicians might think, there’s a limit to how long communities like ours can be expected to join in a sort of Spirit of the Blitz, all pulling together and making do with whatever ferry service is on offer.
“We are now heartily sick of the months of chaos that we experience every year which is caused by the extended removal of the Clansman and her replacement by boats that are not suitable. Enough is enough.”
In 2023 the Clansman was off the route for 5 months with a loss of the ferry for three months in 2025. This year, the ferry has away from Coll and Tiree for “three months and counting”.
Dr John Holliday, secretary of Tiree Community Council said: “ Tiree Community Council has had an unprecedented number of complaints about the service in the past week. Our island businesses are suffering. Seriously. As one islander put it to us: 'Can't get away, can't get back! Tiree is turning into an awful place to live.”
A CalMac spokesperson for CalMac said the ferry service had experienced “unprecedented disruption” with up to 10 vessels being unavailable at the same time in recent weeks.
“This has placed a huge strain on our ability to serve local communities, which has understandably affected customers, and we are very sorry about this.
“The disruption has required vessels to be moved around the network and to operate on routes outside their usual deployment. The current arrangements are due to an unplanned delay to MV Hebrides’ return to service following an issue identified during post‑overhaul testing, which means other vessels need to remain in place elsewhere in the network.
“To provide some certainty for communities affected by the delay to MV Hebrides’ return to service, the current deployment plans – with MV Isle of Mull serving Coll and Tiree - will remain in place into next week.
“We will continue to share updates directly with affected communities as further information becomes available.
“Port teams are working hard to support customers as best they can in what remains a fast‑changing situation, and we are grateful for everyone’s patience.”
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