Isle of Mull ferry has all car sailings cancelled until further notice over technical fault

The Craignure linkspan is the source of the latest island ferry breakdown, causing disruption to passengers travelling to and from the mainland.

Travel to and from the isle of Mull has been disrupted due to a technical fault with the island’s ferry service.

The Craignure linkspan, run by Argyll and Bute Council, broke down on Thursday morning, which led to sailings between Oban on the mainland and the island’s Craignure operating passenger-only services.

It means passengers who are attempting to travel to the west coast island with a vehicle may have been embarking on a 109-mile diversion to use this additional service as the Highland Council-operated Corran Ferry, which crosses Loch Linnhe, remains suspended.

Ferry services to Mull have been disrupted after an issue with the Craignure linkspan. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

As at 5pm on Thursday, CalMac issued an update saying the technical issue had still not been resolved, but Argyll and Bute Council had arranged for engineers to attend.

The ferry company said its MV Lochinvar has been operating a shuttle service between Lochaline on the mainland and Fishnish on Mull to accommodate displaced traffic in the meantime.

A spokesperson for CalMac said: “Due to a technical issue with the linkspan at Craignure, all sailings are currently operating as foot passenger only. Argyll and Bute Council, as owners of the linkspan, have arranged for engineers to attend.

“A shuttle service is operating on and off Mull via Lochaline-Fishnish to accommodate displaced traffic, and an update on later sailings will be provided as soon as more information is available.”

“Disrupting a sailing is a decision we do not take lightly because we know it will inconvenience our customers and the communities we serve. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

A spokesperson for the Mull and Iona Ferry Committee said the fault was understood to be a hydraulic issue that should be relatively easy to fix and would “hopefully last hours rather than days”.