CalMac seeks millions in compensation over troubled Caledonian Isles ferry after 18 months of repairs

The Caledonian Isles, which services the Arran route, has been under repair since January last year.

Scottish Government-owned CalMac has reportedly lodged a compensation claim over the deformation of the ship's hull.

The compensation is being sought from Merseyside shipbuilding and repair company Cammell Laird, which carried out the first phase of repair work.

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The repair bill has now reached £10.8 million - the equivalent of a quarter of last year's maintenance budget for the entire CalMac fleet.

The Scotsman revealed late last year following a behind-the-scenes tour with CalMac of the Caledonian Isles that areas of the “frame” or skeleton of the 31-year-old ship were found to have “deformed” by some 2cm due to stresses on its hull.

The fault has also affected other key parts of the ship - the engine gearbox and the stern tube bearings, where the propellers meet the hull.

READ MORE: CalMac warns of 'multiple islands' disruption if Caledonian Isles ferry repairs prolonged

Cammell Laird has declined to comment on the compensation claim.

In a statement, a CalMac spokesman said: “Following an investigation into the cause of the hull deformity, action is under way to recover costs.

“As this is commercially sensitive and subject to legal proceedings, we cannot comment further.”

West of Scotland MSP Jamie Greene said: “If mistakes have been made in repairing the ferry, then islanders would expect the Scottish Government and its ferry operator to pursue this case extremely robustly. Across the network, too often money is allowed to drain away with no one taking responsibility."

Problems with Caledonian Isles were first found in January last year when annual maintenance inspections showed extensive steel corrosion.

Details of the compensation claim have been revealed with SNP ministers having been accused of “causing chaos” for islanders, with more than 10,000 ferry journeys cancelled due to technical failures since 2023.

The 1,000-passenger Caledonian Isles had been originally due to return to carrying passengers last month, but CalMac has been forced to make further contingency plans after a gearbox issue was discovered.

Scottish Conservative shadow transport secretary Sue Webber said: “Island communities will have no wish to see this sort of dispute spiral when they just want to see this lifeline ferry back in action.

“The fact there is still no date for the Caledonian Isles to finally set sail again is having a devastating effect on our islands as well as in the town of Ardrossan.”

The long-running saga of the Caledonian Isles is yet another issue which has hit transport to Scotland’s west coast islands in recent years, along with the major delays and cost overruns to two ferries being built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow.

The Glen Sannox entered service in January, while the Glen Rosa is not expected until next year, with projected costs rising from £97 million when the contract was signed to more than £400 million.

The loss of the Caledonian Isles has also meant there have been no sailings from Ardrossan in months.

While the MV Isle of Arran has been re-shuffled to take over the route from Monday for the next two weeks, both the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa are too big for the port in the North Ayrshire town and as such have been sailing from Troon, further down the coast.

Locals fear the impact of losing the ferry service on the local economy, while islanders on Arran have also expressed concerns.

The Scottish Government has said it is looking at buying the port from operator Peel Ports to make necessary upgrades to allow the ferries to dock there, but talks are said to have stalled.