This article appears as part of the Scotland's Ferries newsletter.

It is the island protest that prompted a review over how CalMac acts during ferry breakdowns as it copes with an ageing fleet.

South Uist once again was the victim of cuts when ferry breakdowns and delays in annual maintenance meant that islanders lost their service for nearly the whole of June.

It draws the short straw, because it is felt according to the way CalMac runs its lifeline service disruption management, that the least number of people will be affected if their allocated vessel, MV Lord of the Isles, is withdrawn to help out elsewhere.

The catalyst for action came when an estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converged on Lochboisdale – the port which links South Uist to the mainland – on June 4 to protest about the cancellations.

One bombshell from CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond came when he said after visiting the island that a review would take months not weeks to complete.

But while admitting that the near future for lifeline island ferry services remains "challenging" due to a lack of spare vessels, he rejected seven options for change that were suggested to avoid South Uist bearing the brunt of service disruptions.

The lifeline ferry service to South Uist from the mainland resumed on Friday in the wake of the cancellations after a series of what some called "PR visits" to the island by Mr Drummond to apologise profusely and try to explain the actions.

A South Uist public meeting attended by some 250 "unanimously" lodged a vote of no confidence in the ferry company angry at the island's treatment.

Islanders were told by the former transport minister Kevin Stewart, three days before he resigned his position on June 6, that he had ordered a review into the 'matrix' methodology used to deal with ferry shortages to ensure that it takes into account "the actual economic impacts to the islands".

Islanders say they were told during the first of CalMac visits to South Uist on June 12 that the internal review of the matrix was expected to start in the following few days and that a response was expected in a week to ten days.

The South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG), which organised the major demonstration on the island over the cancellations are concerned that the process is stalled.

SUBIG have been critical of how it is that South Uist persistently suffers when vessels are shuffled because of shortage using a matrix that aims to keep the number of people affected to a minimum.

There is no timetable for when any review will ever be complete, meaning that South Uist may well be in the firing line again – especially as further seven options including timetable changes suggested by the Western Isles council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar put to the Scottish Government have been rejected.

The Herald:

The options involved an array of ways in which vessels could be redeployed and amended timetables – but was rejected with Mr Drummond saying they would cause more problems and operational challenges.

He said he agreed that spreading the fleet across more routes "might seem like an appealing solution" but he said that the "logistical reality of our operations makes it challenging to coordinate so many vessels across so many different routes".

He told the council: "When taking the decision to cancel the Lochboisdale service, we also considered a range of other options. You of course are rightly focussed on the needs of your community, but we need to consider our whole network. We carefully weighed the impacts and did our best to make a choice that would cause the least amount of disruption overall.

"We know each decision can significantly impact lives, livelihoods, and the vibrancy of our island communities. The alternative options all came with significant drawbacks, including increased risk to our network stability and negative impacts on a larger number of customers and residents."

Scotland's Ferries | 'Tone deaf': CalMac chief's 'gorgeous' South Uist messages stir up island ire

He also said an essential factor to consider was the hours of rest regulations, designed to ensure the safety and well-being of crew members.

"The proposed timetable would infringe on these crucial rest periods, compromising crew safety. Further, based on current and forecasted demand, the capacity across Islay and Mull with your proposal, would be insufficient to meet the needs of the local communities and visitors."

Concerns had previously emerged that there has been a failure to conduct island communities' impact assessments or consult over the method used to decide how services are axed due to breakdowns of Scotland's ageing ferry fleet in breach of the Scottish Government's ground-breaking Islands (Scotland) Act made law in 2018.

Angus Campbell, chairman of CalMac's independent community board, established as part of CalMac's franchise bid, confirmed there had been no discussion with them over CalMac's route prioritisation matrix in advance of being brought in last year.

There will be one for the review.

The matrix algorithm attempts to place ferries in positions to ensure the least impact on the public.

After meeting with community leaders, Mr Drummond added: "I am sorry again for the loss of the service, as is everyone at CalMac. This is not a place where anyone at CalMac wants to be – we simply want to provide a good service to the community and regain trust.

"The next period will remain challenging, but we are determined to provide a more reliable and sustainable service. There are six major vessels on order, and a plan to order ten smaller vessels which will significantly enhance our capacity and resilience. The lack of any spare vessels in a service which is so stretched is a major cause of our current difficulties."

We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Scotland's Ferries.

Click here and receive this directly to your inbox every week ⛴️