CalMac warns of 'multiple islands' disruption if Caledonian Isles ferry repairs prolonged

CalMac announces vessel shake-up should Caledonian Isles remain out of service next month

New uncertainty faces islanders after CalMac revealed widespread disruption to its west coast network if fault-plagued ferry Caledonian Isles is further delayed returning to service on a key route.

The Scottish Government-owned operator said it would have to shuffle other vessels between routes to cover the gap caused by Caledonian Isles’ absence from Arran sailings. which would involve “some level of disruption on multiple islands”.

Caledonian Isles in Ardrossan harbour during sea trials on June 19 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

The chair of an island ferry committee said the situation was “beyond disaster and is now a total farce”.

Caledonian Isles was due back in service on Wednesday. But that return date was cancelled last week when CalMac said remaining repairs might take “significantly longer” than a few days.

The company said it would confirm its plans early next week, but even if the ferry does return, there will be changes to some services. This is because Alfred, a chartered catamaran also serving Arran, will be off for two weeks from Monday, July 7 for “essential maintenance”.

The 1,000-passenger Caledonian Isles has been out of service for an unprecedented 17 months with a series of major problems, latterly to its gearbox.

The 32-year-old vessel, which normally operates between Ardrossan and Brodick, is undergoing further sea trials to see whether it needs to return to dry dock for further repairs.

Impact on CalMac network

CalMac said if the ferry was not fixed by July 7, its Isle of Arran ferry would be switched from the Islay route to cover Ardrossan-Brodick, enabling that service to resume for the first time since January. New CalMac ferry Glen Sannox would continue to serve the longer Troon-Brodick route alone in the absence of Alfred.

Lord of the Isles, which normally operates between Mallaig and Lochboisdale in South Uist, would be switched to the Islay route to join the service’s main vessel, Finlaggan.

That would trigger perhaps the most significant impact, involving Mull’s main ferry, Isle of Mull, being moved to the Lochboisdale route. That would mean the island’s main route, between Oban and Craignure, being continued to be served by the smaller Coruisk, which has been standing in while Isle of Mull is itself being repaired.

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A CalMac spokesperson said on Thursday: “Caledonian Isles is doing trials today and will be for the next few days. Progress has been made recently, with the issue in the propeller hub resolved.

“We are still dealing with an issue with the offset in pitch response and engine loads for the port and starboard engines.

“Arrangements have been made for dry dock, should it still be required, following these trials. Whether she needs to dry dock will depend on how the trials go.

“We've got onsite and remote support monitoring from [gearbox manufacturer] Kongsberg Marine reviewing the data we're gathering from the trials to advise on resolving the problem.”

‘The straw that breaks the back of some island enterprises’

Joe Reade, chair of the official Mull and Iona Ferry Committee, which represents passengers, said: “Frankly, it’s gone beyond disaster and is now a total farce.

“Mull is already in a dire situation because our normal summer vessel, Isle of Mull, is away having its emergency evacuation slides fixed. They were found to be perished during the winter overhaul.

“This latest disaster could well be the straw that breaks the back of some island enterprises. Businesses are closing and people are leaving the islands because of this.

“Thin, rusted steel was the reason that the Cale Isles initially went into dry dock. These processes of decay take years, and they could and should be picked up well before they become a crisis.

‘Contingency plan casts more doubt’

“Just the same with the Isle of Mull's safety slide - the inevitability that the glue would one day reach a point whereby the slides became unusable should have been flagged years before an outside inspector failed it.

“We are paying the price not just for years of underinvestment, but chronic mismanagement at every level. Yet still no one appears to take responsibility for it.

“The hundreds of millions of pounds the ferry system receives in subsidy each year succeeds mainly in keeping legions of Central Belt bureaucrats in comfortable salaries but is failing miserably at sustaining the Hebrides.”

Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: “The fact that CalMac are publishing yet another contingency plan casts more doubt over whether Caledonian Isles will set sail in early July.

“Islanders are sick and tired of the constant delays and being left in limbo. They deserve a ferry fleet that is fit for the future and that stops the huge disruption that impacts so many of our islands.”

Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Claire Baker said: “The SNP’s ferry fiasco has been devastating for island communities and more chaos seems to be looming.

“This crisis has been years in the making, as the SNP failed to modernise Scotland’s ageing lifeline ferry fleet and deliver new ferries on time.”