BUSINESSES on Mull are threatening to move to the mainland instead as a storm of protest rages over the island's ferry service.
Concern over delayed sailings to Oban, increased cancellations and a CalMac winter timetable that islanders say is not fit for purpose is now at crisis point.
One option being investigated is to try and attract a rival ferry company to the route or for businesses to look at starting one themselves.
Andy Knight, managing director of TSL Contractors Ltd, Mull's largest employer with 75 staff, said lots of businesses and residents shared his concern over the inadequate service.
Mr Knight said: "We are seriously considering moving our operations to the mainland because, from our point of view there has been no improvement in service, while everything else has been improving and becoming more modern, CalMac hasn't. ."
Craignure is only a 40 minute ferry journey to Oban but, in the winter, people going by ferry cannot get to the mainland before 10am while the last return weekday sailing is usually 4pm.
Matters reached a head when, after months of talks with CalMac, to try and get a better winter timetable, the ferry company suddenly wrote rejecting the pleas from 30 island businesses.
Businesses had suggested that the ferry could berth at Craignure overnight on week days - as it does at weekends - so that an early 7am ferry and later 6pm ferry could be put on.
But CalMac has ruled that out claiming "increased exposure to risk" given the current pier and berth arrangement at Craignure, could mean service disruptions.
A freedom of Information request by Mull businesses has revealed that there were 85 sailings cancelled on the Craignure to Oban route last year - the highest recorded for the last 16 years. It compares with no cancellations in 2001, 3 in 2002, 14 in 2003 and 37 in 2012.
A spokesman for CalMac said: "In the Scottish Ferry Service Ferries Plan 2013-2022 Transport Scotland is committed to introducing a two vessel service on the Oban-Craignure route from 2016 which will address this question of more sailings year round to Mull.
"This winter 2014-2015, the Mull service will be enhanced on a Monday with two additional crossing, Wednesday four additional crossings and Fridays six additional crossings.
"We are currently speaking to the pier owners to explore options for development of the facility at Craignure to support the delivery of the Ferries Plan."
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