Fault in ageing CalMac ferry 'causing Western Isles passenger misery' for nearly a week
No cars can be carried on 30-year-old substitute CalMac vessel
Ministers have been blamed for causing “misery” for CalMac passengers on Western Isles routes for nearly a week due to ferry disruption by failing to ensure new vessels were delivered on time.
A fault on a 30-year-vessel providing a substitute service on the Ullapool-Stornoway link while its main ferry is undergoing annual maintenance has left it unable to carry cars for the past six days.
The problem with the Isle of Lewis’s car deck ventilation system meant it was only able to transport passengers again on Tuesday. Bad weather has forced several sailings to be cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday.
Loch Seaforth, the route’s usual ferry, is not due back in service until Monday. However, CalMac said a third of its fleet was undergoing annal maintenance so options were limited.
Scottish Labour said the travel nightmare for the Western Isles had been compounded by a reduced service on routes between the mainland and South Uist and Barra because their normal vessels were on annual overhaul or redeployed elsewhere.
Rhoda Grant, the party’s islands spokesperson, laid the blame on the Scottish Government for the late arrival of new ferry orders. Those which should have been delivered by now are for routes elsewhere in the CalMac network.
She said: “Once again, the SNP’s ferry fiasco is causing misery for Scotland’s island communities.
“Islanders are being cut off from loved ones, healthcare, work and more because of the SNP’s woeful failure to deliver new ferries on time. The SNP is letting down islanders and inflicting damage on local communities and economies.
“A Scottish Labour government will deliver for Scotland’s islands and protect these lifeline services – by modernising the ferry fleet and by overhauling the distant and unaccountable governance structures.”
A CalMac spokeswoman said: “We apologise for any disruption caused by the issue with Isle of Lewis and are working hard to resolve it. Customers have been able to travel to Lewis via our Uig [Skye] service, though we recognise it is a significant detour.
“The freight service has been operating as normal, meaning essential supplies and goods continue to get to the Outer Hebrides. The issue has occurred at a time when approximately 30 per cent of our fleet is in annual overhaul, so options to cover any issues are limited.
“Parts are expected to be installed on the vessel on Wednesday that would allow a limited number of vehicles to travel, with further parts expected within a few days to allow a full repair and a return to maximum carrying capacity.
“Adverse weather is forecast across much of our network, including Ullapool-Stornoway, across Wednesday and parts of Thursday.”
Three new ferries should have been delivered by now - Glen Rosa, being built for the main Arran route at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, and Isle of Islay and Loch Indaal, for Islay, at a yard in Turkey.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency said: “Redeployment of vessels is a necessary measure to address exceptional circumstances which have emerged as a result of planned and unplanned maintenance.
“When this occurs it is vital that lifeline connectivity and essential services to our islands are maintained.
“Annual overhauls are mandatory and in recent years we have been investing additional sums to improve fleet sustainability and to provide a more resilient service for passengers and communities.
“We intend to deliver six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network, replacing older vessels and improving reliability. These and the seven new small vessels will mean that this Government has invested to renew over a third of CalMac’s fleet.
“The arrival of 13 new vessels to the fleet, which started with Glen Sannox in January [Glen Rosa’s sister vessel], will reduce technical issues and these modern vessels should also be able to operate in more challenging weather and sea conditions.”
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