Revealed: Major repairs could keep key CalMac ferry out of service until next summer

CalMac’s ferry crisis has intensified with its main vessel on its busiest route now potentially out of service until March for further repairs.

Caledonian Isles faces being off for up to an unprecedented 14 months after more steelwork problems were found on the 31-year-old ship, which serves the main route to Arran.

Repairs to Caledonian Isles started in January | CalMac

The ferry had been due back in two weeks’ time after undergoing a series of repairs since January. To compound the problem, CalMac does not know long the latest work will take to complete because it will need to find space in a suitable yard.

The further setback came as the completion date for Glen Sannox, which is due to operate alongside the vessel on the Brodick route, has still to be announced by the Ferguson Marine shipyard - more than three weeks after the last delivery deadline.

CalMac is having to split Brodick sailings between Ardrossan and Troon because stand-in chartered catamaran Alfred cannot use Ardrossan.

The poor state of the North Ayrshire port means the route’s other vessel, Isle of Arran, is unable to use it either in strong easterly winds. The route from Troon is longer, which has reduced the frequency of sailings.

CalMac said the need for further repairs was discovered whilst Caledonian Isles was in dry dock in Greenock. They include the need to repair or replace both stern tube bearings, which are being removed for further assessment.

The parts will either have to be sent to Norway for repair or new ones being delivered, which would not be until mid-December at the earliest.

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CalMac said an inspection had found steelwork had deformed in two areas and “significant steel replacement” was required, which is underway. The operator said a naval architect was being consulted about the root cause. It is not known whether it is linked to the steelwork repairs carried out in a yard in Birkenhead.

A CalMac spokesperson said: “Due to the uncertainty around dock availability and the full repair scope, we anticipate Caledonian Isles could remain out of service until the end of the winter timetable in late March in a worst-case scenario.”

The company said it anticipated at least three weeks would be required to align the shafts, gearboxes and engines after the vessel was refloated.

CalMac interim chief executive Duncan Mackison said: “The planned scope of work we’d identified for dry dock is progressing well, but the discovery of these latest issues has eliminated any chance of a return to service in the short term.

“We are in no doubt about the current challenges facing the network and the people who rely on it. We anticipated a challenging winter and that is exactly what we’re seeing play out.

“Any decisions we take around the service off the back of this news will cause disruption in places, and we will now consult with communities to get their valuable input into that service plan.

“Our recent efforts to add resilience to the service, such as through trialling third-party vessels and by bringing forward the dry dock work for Caledonian Isles, will continue. We will leave no stone unturned as we try to meet the needs of the island communities we serve.”

West Scotland Conservative MSP Jamie Greene said: “This is yet another devastating blow for the residents of Arran and CalMac ferry users.

“The SNP’s incompetence has left betrayed islanders with an ever-ageing vessel, which is undergoing yet more lengthy repairs, whilst the new Glen Sannox is still nowhere to be seen.

“The continued absence of the Caledonian Isles will now impact the entire ferry network and with the Hebridean Isles on its way to the scrap heap, there is simply no spare capacity in the network.”