CalMac ferry Hebrides suffers further multiple faults a day after gearbox repairs completed

Hebrides was returning to the west coast from the week-long extra work in Leith when it hit further problems on Monday and was diverted to Aberdeen.

CalMac said the latest setback for the 26-year-old vessel would keep it out of service until at least Friday.

The new problems are with the vessel’s bow door seal and engine speed controller, along with a hydraulic deck leak.

They come as the latest nightmare for Britain’s biggest ferry operator which has been struggling to manage widespread disruption over the last month caused by up to ten ferries - nearly a third of its fleet - undergoing repairs or scheduled annual maintenance.

Chief executive Duncan Mackison had said 11 days ago that the impending return of Hebrides - and Lord of the Isles, which is now back in service - would give islanders a “level of certainty” for the next month.

Hebrides, which can carry 600 passengers and 90 cars, was due back in service two days later, on April 18, following its annual overhaul.

It had been scheduled to take over the Little Minch triangle routes between Harris, Skye and North Uist.

The further delay will have a knock-on effect across several other CalMac routes because other ferries have been moved around to fill the gap.

That has particularly upset islanders in Coll and Tiree, whose normal ferry Clansman has been diverted to cover the Little Minch routes.

They are being temporarily served instead by Isle of Mull, which has been transferred from the main Mull route, reducing capacity on that service.

Coll Community Council chair Kirsty McFarlane said: “Bow visor leaking, main engine trouble, mezzanine deck hydraulic leak - how a vessel can leave dry dock after two months with these basic malfunctions is a question we wish senior management to respond to.

“Hebrides was in extended drydock last year - during which this community suffered a reduced service - specifically to address its bow visor issues.”

Ms McFarlane said CalMac staff had limited options for dealing with the immediate problems, but added: “We need some new ideas from CalMac on how we deal with not just the regular breakdowns but the chronic lack of confidence in the service that has set in.

“It is politicians who have to wake up and realise that much more needs to be done in the short term.

“Nobody believes that six new major ships are going to sort this mess when there are almost the same number needing serious amounts of annual repair work. We'll only be standing still in two years from now.”

John MacCaskill, a spokesperson for Tiree Community Council, said residents and visitors were “in the middle of a perfect ferry transport storm”.

He said: “There is little confidence on Tiree as to whether ferry bookings will actually happen, thus our tourism industry is suffering from hotel and holiday lets businesses taking too many booking cancellations for the summer season.

“The same lack of confidence is very evident by Tiree residents and local businesses who are suffering terribly.”

Mr MacCaskill, who also chairs Tiree Transport Forum, which represents ferry passengers, blamed the “utter mess” on the failure to replace CalMac’s ageing fleet, which he described as an “absolute disgrace”.

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CalMac’s Argyll area manager Stephen Wood told islanders: “Apologies for this ongoing delay to your service. The port teams are working hard to minimise disruption and to keep vital goods and services moving.”

A CalMac spokeswoman said: “The gearbox issue on Hebrides was resolved over the weekend and the vessel departed Leith on Sunday.

“During passage, a leak was discovered in the bow visor seal, and the vessel was diverted to Aberdeen for berthing to allow investigations and rectification work.

“As a result, the vessel will not be ready to return to service before Friday.

“In addition to the issue with the bow visor seal, the vessel is also experiencing an issue with a main engine governor and a mezzanine deck hydraulic leak which will require rectification before the vessel returns to service.

“With the timescales for repairs currently unknown and to provide certainty to customers, the intention is to extend the current deployment plan until Friday.

“A further update will be provided to communities later this week.”