Uist suffers three months of ferry cancellation misery as angry communities appeal for ministerial action

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which covers the Western Isles demanded action said it had led to Uist being without a ferry service, while another route has been dropped and a reduced service was imposed on one of Scotland's busiest services to and from Arran.

Concerns have been raised that South Uist, which again has been hit with no services, has suffered around three months of disruption since the start of the year.

Stòras Uibhist a community owned company that manages the 93,000 acre South Uist Estate comprising the Outer Hebridean islands of Eriskay, South Uist and parts of Benbecula has previously raised concerns at the start of the year that an “essential services” ferry timetable meant that the Lochboisdale route was the only one across the entire CalMac fleet to be suspended.

READ MORE: Uist islands with 'front row seats of national ferry scandal' demand two lifeline ferries

That meant adding six hours to the travelling time of a return trip to Glasgow as ferry users have to divert to get the ferry from North Uist and travel to Skye.

Just last week the company formed a working group on behalf of the community "for both a short-term solution to the current problems and also for long-term improvements".

But on Thursday sailings to both North and South Uist were cancelled after state-controlled ferry operator CalMac reported that the 22-year-old MV Hebrides had "made contact" with Lochmaddy Pier on Wednesday night.

It comes after the 33-year-old Lord of the Isles was taken out of service due to a fault earlier in the week and is not expected back till next week at the earliest.

Lord of the Isles was withdrawn for repairs to its drencher system, in the hope this will “allow the vessel to remain in service throughout the summer”. It said that it would have little impact because of low usage.

The vessel headed for Greenock on Tuesday and, according to CalMac “is estimated to return to service on May 25 at the earliest.

The state-controlled CalMac apologised and said it was considering moving boats around its network.

But islanders are now facing journeys of more than five hours, involving multiple ferry crossings, to get to the mainland.

Western Isles local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has reacted with anger at Uist being left without a service and demanded that action is taken to bring in an alternative ferry.

It has repeated calls, made by other groups, to bring in Pentland Ferries' MV Pentalina which has been on the market for between £5.6m and £7m - having already successfully tested her with a view to a lease deal.

It can carry up to 350 passengers and 58 cars.

Sam Bourne, chairman of the ferry action group on Arran, which had its service cut from a two vessel service to one because of the issues, said the Pentalina would not immediately solve the issues as it had been laid up and would not be ready for commission.

READ MORE: 'National scandal' - CalMac ferry network in crisis as four boats break down in three weeks

"This is the inevitable results of where we are, the lack of vessels, you have to juggle the fleet to fill the gap. Arran has to fill the gap, For the Western Isles and it is absolute chaos. "In the last six months South Uist has had three months without a boat and it is not sustaintable.

"They seem to be the first island to go out when the juggle happens. What is the solution?

"There is no solution tomorrow. Pentalina is weeks away. She is not sat in commission. She is in warm lay-up.

"So she is probably not certified, so it takes time to get it recommissioned. Pentalina could alleviate the pressure but not immediately.

"It is too late to put in place the solution now, because you haven't acted on it previously. The problem is there is just not enough pieces or ferries on the table."

Despite successful berthing trials, Pentland Ferries, which runs a ferry service connecting Orkney to the mainland, decided not to enter into a leasing agreement in the summer of last year, in a dispute over whether it was fit to sail.

The council said that the withdrawal of two ferries has led to the arrival of a scenario that islanders have "feared for so long".

The state-owned ferry operator CalMac is having to handle an ageing ferry fleet with new vessels Glen Sannox and Hull 802 still languishing in Port Glasgow as the costs of their construction have soared from the original £97m contract to at least £250m and delivery is over five years late.

"Islanders have long made clear the need for greater urgency on addressing the need to order new ferries," a council spokesman said.

It said it was seeking urgent action from government to charter the catamaran Pentalina on a charter with the crew provided by Calmac.

"Comhairle nan Eilean Siar do not believe the Western Isles can wait three years or even the two years before 802 is in service to improve summer capacity and are seeking urgent action from government to charter MV Pentalina on a bare boat charter basis with the crew provided by Calmac," a spokesman said.

MV Hebrides can carry 612 passengers and 90 cars was due to be replaced by a new ship, one of two dual-fuel vessels at the centre of a ferry-building fiasco.

Hebrides underwent a temporary repair on Thursday to allow the vessel to travel to James Watt Dock in Greenock tonight, which has specialist welding facilities, for permanent repair.

A timescale for return to service will be confirmed once full assessment of required repairs has been carried out.

The disruption has meant that one of the busiest CalMac routes to and from Arran has been reduced to one vessel.

Meanwhle services on the Ardrossan to Campbeltown route will be cancelled from Friday.

Almost 1000 passengers and 338 cars had their bookings on the Lochboisdale to Mallaig ferry service abruptly cancelled as a result of the Lord of the Isles being withdrawn from service for eight days.

In addition, 698 metres of commercial space – equivalent to about 26 trailer-loads – were cancelled, throwing island businesses into disarray.

The council chairman of transportation and infrastructure, Uisdean Robertson said: “The Scottish ferry crisis is being experienced by islanders every day.

"It is not a newspaper headline, it is a harsh reality and we need Government to take decisive steps to secure the future of the islands their ferry contract is supposed to serve. "

After the sidelining of MV Hebrides, CalMac said that to protect lifeline services, MV Isle of Arran will be redeployed from the Ardrossan-Brodick-Campbeltown route to cover the Kennacraig-Islay service, with MV Hebridean Isles moving from Islay to cover the Skye Triangle. MV Loch Bhrusda will operate additional sailings will operate on Barra-Eriskay.

MV Caledonian Isles sailings will continue to operate as scheduled, and MV Loch Linnhe will act as a second vessel on the Lochranza/Claonaig route to support services to and from Arran.

The ferry operator said extra capacity is available on the Ullapool-Stornoway route on Sunday night. There will also be an additional passenger sailing on Saturday night.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “During any disruptions CalMac will prioritise sailings to ensure delivery of essential supplies and export of island products, supporting island and remote economies. A number of redeployment decisions have been taken to ensure lifeline services to the islands continue.

“Ministers recognise that having confidence in ferry services can impact upon people’s decision on whether to live and work on the islands, and impacts upon the sustainability of the island communities themselves. These human impacts are at the heart of Scottish Ministers’ commitment to continued investment in ferry services across Scotland.

“We continue to charge CalMac Ferries Ltd. and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. with seeking potential second hand tonnage to improve operational resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes.

“The MV Pentalina was considered for a possible time charter in 2021, although it was withdrawn from availability by its owner before an agreement was signed. We remain open to exploring a time charter option should this be reconsidered by the vessel owner. In considering any other charter options, which place more risk with the operator, we would of course have to consider condition and suitability of the vessel as well as the terms and affordability of any arrangement.”

A spokeswoman for CalMac said: “This is a significant disruption for our communities, and we sincerely apologise for this at what is already a very difficult time for them with the loss of MV Lord of the Isles. Our immediate priority is to ensure lifeline services such as food supplies and urgent medical care can be transported.

“Removing vessels from routes is always a very difficult decision and one we would rather not make, but our options are extremely limited, and this is the only way to protect lifeline services at short notice. This redeployment means that all islands will continue to receive a service during this current disruption.

“We are keeping customers informed and will provide another update as soon as a full assessment of the required repairs has been completed in Greenock.”