Row as seven CalMac ferries are sidelined in four days

Problems first surfaced on Sunday evening and it remained off yesterday while CalMac scrambled charter vessels to operate a passenger-only service to and from the Small Isles of Mallaig, Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna.

CalMac told users: "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."

MV Lochnevis.  Credit: YouTube (Robert John MacInnes)

It came as the oldest CalMac's oldest ferry 48-year-old MV Isle of Cumbrae which had undergone repairs on Friday was sidelined again on Monday afternoon for more repairs.  And it remained out of action on the busy Cumbrae route yesterday to allow for further investigations and repairs.

Thirty-three-year-old MV Loch Buie, the 11-year-old pioneering diesel electric hybrid ferry MV Lochinvar, MV Caledonian Isles, MV Loch Shira and MV Isle of Lewis have also been on the sidelines at some point since Friday as a new wave of problems hit the state-owned ferry company's fleet.

READ MORE: ScotGov blocks islanders' plan to wrest control of ferry services from CalMac

MV Loch Buie was removed from service on the Mull to Iona link on Saturday due to a technical issue and a a passenger only charter service operated by Staffa Tours had to be brought in. It was back in service on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile MV Lochinvar was removed from the service to Fishnish on Mull on Friday due to a problem with its aft propulsion drive. MV Loch Linnhe was redeployed to assist with capacity and was to pick up sailings to clear traffic.

Passenger charters were arranged to operate the service to Tobermory on Mull in the absence of MV Loch Linnhe and CalMac had said traffic levels and capacity are being "closely monitored".

MV Lochinvar returned to service on Monday while users were advised that wait times may be longer and preferred sailing choices may not be guaranteed.

Another ferry serving the island of Kerrera became passenger only on Sunday due to an issue with the bow door.

Meanwhile some users on the Arran crossing were saved from being stranded at Troon on Monday after CalMac diverted all sailings from Ardrossan until Thursday because of weather issues.

A shuttle bus service was due to transport foot passengers on the 14 mile road journey between Ardrossan and Troon.

But ten who were on the £1m-a-month emergency ferry MV Alfred were left 'stranded' at Troon because there was no bus, with travellers told that the buses would only be meeting travellers on the other island vessel, the MV Isle of Arran.

Some had missed train connections because the ferry was late then face further rail cancellations.

One user said that CalMac said they make our own way back to Ardrossan or wait until the MV Isle of Arran arrived in Troon and then get the bus. She said that ferry had been delayed by two hours.

"As Ardrossan sailings have been diverted it would have been helpful to inform passengers as some have left their cars in Ardrossan," she said.

"The 7am sailed from Ardrossan on Monday morning and I specifically asked if there were buses as my car was being left at Ardrossan but my return was diverted to Troon. Passengers were not told that the buses would only be meeting the Isle of Arran and not Alfred. It should be stressed that the shuttle buses are only for those on the Isle of Arran."

But a driver from Coast to Coast Travel came to their rescue and got clearance to take the group to where they needed to go.

One user group representative said it was "more chaos" for a service that needed to be "more island focussed".

"It seems that any call to have more resilence for the islands just gets met with the stock answer from government that they have ferries coming," he said. "But what about the here and now."

MV Caledonian Isles, one Scotland's oldest ferries has been sidelined until at least late August, after CalMac was landed with a £5m repair bill over rust.

The ferry operator had warned in February of disruption across the Clyde and Hebrides network as a result of steelwork issues with the 31-year-old MV Caledonian Isles which serves on the Arran route, one of the busiest on the Scottish coast, and is due to be replaced.

One of the elder statesmen of the ferry fleet, it has been out of action since going for an overhaul at the start of January and it had been hoped in the last up date that it would be back by July to help with the busy summer period.

But user groups who have been pushing for contingency plans have now discovered that the vessel will not return till sometime in late August.

It was sidelined for over three months with further steelwork and engine difficulties this time last year with repair work then estimated at £1m. It had been due to leave the yard after an overhaul before issues with the engines, steelwork and bearings were noted by engineers.

Further steelwork problems were attributed to a further period spent in the yard in early 2022.

The vessel was found to have had major technical problems during overhaul again this year and was not expected back till at least the end of next March originally.

Users had been told that the vessel needs "extensive steelwork" leading to concerns that it is suffering rust issues.

The 29-year-old MV Isle of Lewis which was put out of action after issues surfaced last weekend went back on duty on Saturday having been berthed in Greenock for repairs to a bow visor.

The developments had caused disruption to services to and from the beleaguered island of South Uist.

CalMac was forced to remove MV Loch Shira from one of its busiest routes on April 5 due to it being damaged by heavy vehicles and was expected to be sidelined for months.

The vessel, which usually operates on the Largs to Cumbrae route, entered dry docks for repairs and is not expected back until mid-June at the earliest.

The MV Loch Riddon had been operating a single vessel service leaving customers facing an increase in waiting times to and from Cumbrae.

CalMac had redeployed the aged MV Isle of Cumbrae – as the supporting second vessel on the route until another vessel was able to take over.

The ferry operator had warned users that until further notice due to smaller vessels operating on the route, vehicle capacity had been slashed due to smaller vessels being used and queues were to be expected.

On Tuesday, wait times at Largs were as long as two hours.

Issues with the ageing fleet have meant that the summer only service from Ardrossan to Campbeltown has been scrapped for a second year.

READ MORE: Campbeltown anger at two-year cut to CalMac ferry service

The summer service never started last year as it became a casualty when the 38-year-old MV Hebridean Isles was out of service.

It comes as CalMac's spend on unplanned maintenance of the ageing ferry fleet has more than trebled in five-and-a-half years.

Details from the state-owned ferry operator shows that over the period some £16m has had to be spent on the unexpected repairs.

While an average of £147,377-a-month was being spent on the CalMac fleet nearly six years ago the bill has risen to £481,310 now.

Concerns have been raised that some £3,850,483 was spent on unplanned ferry maintenance in the first eight months of 2023/24 - already the highest since CalMac began tracking the spend.

It represents a rise of more than £800,000 on the bill for the whole of 2022/23.

Meanwhile, new ferries Glen Sannox and sister ship Glen Rosa, which were due online in the first half of 2018, with both now due to serve Arran, are at least six years late, with costs expected to be quadruple the original £97m contract.

CalMac said that nobody was stranded, because once staff knew about the Troon diversions, they arranged with the bus company to take any passenger who needed to get to Ardrossan to pick up their car.

They said this had been done before when the vessel has been diverted.

They said in normal circumstances, the shuttle bus from the Alfred only goes to the train station.A

A  CalMac spokeswoman said: “MV Isle of Arran sailings have been diverted to Troon from today (Tuesday) until Friday 3 May, due to a combination of weather conditions and the poor state of the Irish berth at Ardrossan.

“CalMac port staff contacted the coach company operating the shuttle service from Troon to ensure that all passengers who needed to get to Ardrossan were given space.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We recognise the impact that delays and disruption have on our island communities and this government is committed to investing in our ferry services. Delivering six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network by 2026 is a priority. We have invested more than £2 billion in our ferry services since 2007 and we have outlined plans to invest around £700 million in a five year plan to improve ferry infrastructure.

“The delay regarding the MV Caledonian Isles is regrettable and we expect CalMac to be working with the experts in the field to ensure work is progressed at pace. The Transport Secretary has previously spoken with CalMac to stress that everything must be done to address capacity and provide assurances for the Arran community as we approach the summer.

“The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that transport connectivity to our islands is reliable, affordable and inclusive to support the economic and population growth of these communities and the recently published Islands Connectivity Plan sets out a comprehensive plan to follow on from the six new vessels being delivered by 2026.”