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Almost a third of CalMac's ferry fleet out of action

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 has been forced out of action for the second time in just over a week

Almost a third of CalMac's ferry fleet is out of action due to technical faults and annual repairs, with the firm's boss warning it is struggling to maintain services.

MV Lord of the Isles became the latest large vessel out of action when it was pulled from the Oban-Barra route on Tuesday due to a problem with its starboard engine.

Six major vessels and four smaller ones are currently unable to sail, causing widespread disruption to west coast routes.

The operator's chief executive, Duncan Mackison, said the firm had been facing an "unprecedented scenario" which had now worsened.

Mackison said: "Almost a third of our entire fleet is unavailable for service, creating a set of circumstances where significant disruption on multiple routes served by major and small vessels is unavoidable.

"Though the situation appeared to be stabilising, emergent issues across major and small vessels means the unprecedented scenario we find ourselves in has worsened.

"Everyone at CalMac is acutely aware of the level of disruption many islands on our network have faced recently, and I apologise for that."

He added: "The full service impact of the current issues is being reviewed, and plans will be shared with island communities tomorrow."

MV Glen Sannox, has been hit by a series of faults since returning from an extended annual overhaul in Merseyside in March, the latest being a leak from a fuel pump.

It had returned to service last week after a repair to its exhaust system but was withdrawn again on Monday, affecting the busy Troon to Brodick route.

The chartered catamaran MV Alfred is expected back from overhaul and should be able to restore the Troon services on Wednesday.

CalMac has now abandoned plans to temporarily re-deploy Glen Sannox to the Western Isles routes and it will stay on the Arran service once it is fixed.

PA Media A ferry, painted black and white, sailing across the water PA Media
The MV Glen Sannox only returned to service last week

MV Lord of the Isles only returned at the weekend after problems with its main engine put it out of action last week.

However an "ongoing technical issue" with the ship's starboard main engine means an amended timetable - using the MV Isle of Mull - will run through to the end of Wednesday.

CalMac's west of Scotland network has been under sustained pressure in recent weeks, with many ferries under maintenance and others facing unplanned repairs.

The state-owned operator last month said it was facing a "critical" situation due to a shortage of vessels due to technical faults and planned maintenance.

CalMac has been forced to reposition multiple vessels on its island routes and said plans were "under constant review".