Lifeline island ferry services have been plunged into new turmoil as the sidelining of two major vessels and fears over fuel deliveries have resulted in a new wave of disruption.
Islanders are fighting for answers after MV Finlaggan, has been delayed from the completion of its annual overhaul by around a week, having been initially told it was over-running by four days and was due to be in service on Wednesday.
Now it has emerged that there has been further delay with the latest return to service on the Islay route now set for Saturday.
Users have been told that the delays have been due to the shipyard being unable to complete works to an agreed timetable.
It comes amidst a run of breakdowns and reshuffling of the ferry pack to try and keep services going across the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service.
One major vessel, MV Isle of Mull is being kept on a route to South Uist to provide vital supplies - after a pier usually used for fuel deliveries to the island was condemned.
CalMac said that outstanding work is yet to be completed with MV Finlaggan on "a number of systems, including control and automation, thermal oil and marine evacuation".
Residents on South Uist have been raising concerns that they will once again become victims of cuts having lost their service for nearly the whole of June, last year.
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management, that the least number of people will be affected if their allocated vessel, MV Lord of the Isles, is withdrawn to help out elsewhere.
A protest over cancellations involving an estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converging on Lochboisdale – the port which links South Uist to the mainland. It resulted in a redrawing of the prioritisation list for services when there are disruptions.
The South Uist Business Impact Group yesterday wrote to the transport minister Fiona Hyslop seeking clarity over what is happening saying that one option they believe is being considered is to once again pull the ferry from Lochboisdale using the argument that residents can go on the service to Lochmaddy in North Uist instead.
But the group say that when they try to book on the online portal there is only a handful of spaces and has called for urgent discussions over the plans.
They said it begged a "main question" over "what should a lifeline ferry service provider prioritise - day trippers or the economic survival of Uist's fragile economy".
But any plan to pull the Lochboisdale service completely has since been quashed.
The Islay Community Council has been pushing for a contingency plan.
The delay over the return of MY Finlaggan has meant that the regular vessel, MV Lord of Isles has been redeployed to support Islay. The MV Isle of Mull is due to operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays between Oban and Lochboisdale via Craignure on Mull.
But the Mull and Iona Fery Committee has protested against any further redeployment of MV Isle of Mull saying that next weekend is a "busy and important one" with the Mull Sevens rugby tournament.
They say a delay over its full return would "threaten the ability of attendees to get to the island".
Services to and from Barra via Coll and Tiree on a Wednesday have been cancelled. And users were warned that while MV Finlaggan was out there would be no connection services to Colonsay.
Meanwhile, users of the Isle of Cumbrae service have been told that as the reshuffle has meant that smaller vessels are operating, they "encourage customers, where possible, to travel as foot passengers...."
And customers were also warned on Tuesday that while staff at CalMac's Mallaig officer were prioritising "disruptions and traffic moves" for some of its routes, they may be unable to answer any calls or e-mails as quickly as they normally would.
Another ferry user group official said: "The continuing worry about the chaotic state of the network has got to be resolved with some proper action from the Scottish Government in the short term to improve resilience."
It comes as MV Caledonian Isles, one of Scotland's oldest and biggest ferries, was 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.
It has been out of action since going for an overhaul at the start of January and it had been hoped in the last update that it would be back by July to help with the busy summer period.
Issues with the ageing fleet have meant that the summer only service from Ardrossan to Campbeltown has been scrapped for a second year.
The summer service never started last year as it became a casualty when the 38-year-old MV Hebridean Isles was out of service.
Some 18 of CalMac's 31 working ferries that were in service in 2021 and deployed across Scotland are now over 25 years old.
CalMac said it redeployed vessels in April to account for MV Finlaggan’s annual overhaul, and that timetable will remain in place until she returns on Saturday.
Her overhaul was rescheduled to fall after the busy Easter holiday period and ensure she returns to service before the Islay Festival in late May.
The ferry operator said it has been supporting all of Uist and Barra with fuel supplies, after the pier usually used for fuel deliveries was condemned. Supplies have been delivered via CalMac ferries ever since.
It said it had hoped to redeploy MV Isle of Mull from the South Uist service to support Mull but this is not possible without MV Finlaggan due to the need for the delivery of vital supplies on all Uist and Barra. CalMac is exploring options to add extra capacity to Mull’s service ahead of MV Finlaggan’s return.
Duncan Mackison, CalMac’s interim chief executive said: “We are frustrated that MV Finlaggan’s return has been delayed, and our fleet management team has had a regular presence at the shipyard recently. We have made it absolutely clear that these delays, even if only for a few days, have a real, detrimental impact on the islands and communities we serve.
"With six new major vessels due to enter service by 2026, including MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Islay in the coming months, we will be much better equipped to manage maintenance delays and service disruption.”
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