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CalMac warns of 'critical shortage' as eight ferries now out of action

Paul HastieBBC Scotland
Christopher Brindle A black and white ship with red funnels. Caledonian MacBrayne is written on the side. There are blue skies and clouds in the backgroundChristopher Brindle
MV Lord of the Isles suspended all sailings after an engine problem

Engine problems have put an eighth CalMac ferry out of action, as the operator apologised for a "critical" shortage of ships.

MV Lord of the Isles, which had been covering the Oban to Mull route, suspended all sailings on Saturday after a "technical issue" with its main engine.

Three other large ferries - including CalMac's troubled Glen Sannox vessel - are already unavailable, while four other ships are undergoing annual maintenance.

The state-owned firm told island communities that the situation was the "most pressing" it had faced and disruption would continue into next week.

CalMac said "virtually every island served by a major vessel" on its west of Scotland network was being affected by the shortage of ships.

The Glen Sannox docked at Brodick Harbour. Cars enter via the ferry ramp
Eight major vessels are now out of action on CalMac's ferry network

Chief executive Duncan Mackison said: "The critical situation we find ourselves in has worsened due to MV Lord of the Isles reporting an engine issue.

"A combination of weather, sea swell and technical issues means services are below planned levels on Arran, Barra, Coll, Colonsay, Harris, Islay, North Uist, South Uist and Tiree.

"We're urgently looking at deployment plans into next week to put services in place on islands facing disruption or cancellation due to vessel availability."

CalMac ferries out of action

Four vessels under annual maintenance.

  • MV Alfred (Due back 6 April)
  • MV Loch Frisa (Due back 9 April)
  • MV Hebrides (Due back 15 April)
  • MV Isle of Lewis (Due back late May)

Four vessels with technical problems.

  • MV Isle of Arran (Off since Wednesday)
  • MV Glen Sannox (Off since Thursday)
  • MV Isle of Islay (Was due to begin service on Friday)
  • MV Lord of the Isles (Off since Saturday)

It is understood there was a problem with the bow door on MV Lord of the Isles on the final sailing on Friday night, which required vehicles to reverse off.

CalMac then suspended sailings on Saturday after an engine problem. The timeline for a fix is unknown, with the vessel expected to move to a repair berth on Monday.

MV Glen Sannox, which sails to Arran from Troon, developed a problem with a flexible coupling in its exhaust system early on Thursday.

A quick repair allowed it to return for one sailing but the problem re-occurred so it has now been withdrawn until Tuesday.

Christopher Brindle Two large black and white ships with red funnels, at right angles to each otherChristopher Brindle
CalMac's two newest ships MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Islay are both unavailable while faults are investigated

MV Isle of Islay, the first of four new ferries built in Turkey, was meant to enter service on the Islay to Kennacraig route on Friday, but that has been pushed back until at least Monday.

MV Isle of Arran has a problem with its fire suppression system.

Other faults have since been found with a coupling and a bow thruster, and it is likely to be out of action until early next week.

Four other vessels - MV Hebrides, MV Loch Frisa, MV Isle of Lewis and the chartered catamaran MV Alfred - are all away for scheduled maintenance or repairs.

Earlier this month, ferries on the main route to Arran were affected after a technical problem with Glen Sannox, just a week after it returned from its annual overhaul.

The vessel, which entered service over-budget and years late, also needs new redesigned propellers to fix a persistent vibration problem when manoeuvring.

Fixing the issue could add £3.2m of extra costs for Glen Sannox and its sister vessel Glen Rosa, managers from the Ferguson shipyard have told a committee of MSPs.

This week, it was also revealed that the two ships will not be able to dock at Ardrossan Harbour until at least 2029.

The ships, ordered by ferries agency CMAL in 2015, are too big to berth at the existing facilities.