Shortlist of names for CalMac's new electric ferry fleet revealed, as public asked to vote

CalMac’s new fleet of electric ferries will be named after Scottish lochs - with the most popular to be chosen from a shortlist that has been unveiled.

The seven vessels being built in Poland are due to be delivered from 2027 to serve routes across the west coast, including to the islands of Gigha and Iona.

A visualisation of the new ferry design | Transport Scotland/naValue

People are being asked to vote for their favourites among the list of 17 names published on Friday by the Scottish Government’s ferry-buying firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited [Cmal].

The list of names include Loch Awe, Loch Doon, Loch Earn, Loch Eck, Loch Ericht, Loch Etive, Loch Garry, Loch Katrine and Loch Leven. Loch Lubnaig, Loch Lyon, Loch Maree, Loch Morar, Loch Quoich, Loch Rannoch, Loch Shiel and Loch Tummel are the other options.

The seven ferries form the first £160 million phase of the two-part small vessel replacement programme, which also includes the upgrading of power supplies for recharging the ferries at ports.

Votes can be cast on the Cmal website until November 28.

The ferries will also serve these routes: Colintraive-Rhubodach (Bute), Lochaline-Fishnish (Mull), Tarbert (Loch Fyne)-Portavadie, Sconser-Raasay and Tobermory-Kilchoan (Ardnamurchan).

Two other routes with older ferries will also benefit from vessels being cascaded from routes getting the new vessels - Largs-Cumbrae and Oban-Lismore.

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Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Inspired by Scotland’s lochs, it’s a fitting tribute to see potential names for these new vessels rightly link to the current Loch class vessels they are set to replace.”

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She said the new ferries would “increase capacity and provide vital resilience and reliability to the fleet” and also “contribute to reduced carbon emissions and provide cleaner local air quality across the network with their electric operation”.

Cmal chief executive Kevin Hobbs said: “It’s important that the communities who use them play a part in giving them their names.”

He said 21 Scotland-based shipbuilding apprentices - three per vessel - would take part in sea trials for training before they were handed over to Cmal.