HAULAGE companies that spend millions of pounds on Scotland’s ferries each year have called for a complete overhaul of the system they say is stifling growth and heading for breaking point.

Donald Macleod, of Stornoway-based DR Macleod, said his business is CalMac’s biggest single customer and that the current “dire situation” is killing business and offers no back-up and no resilience in the fleet.

“This is a Government-run concern, if you ran your business like that you would be out of business tomorrow,” he said. “It’s shocking.”

In day two of a special series, the spotlight is turned on the businesses that have helped keep Scotland and the islands supplied during the pandemic, the hauliers.

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Another operator, Neil Leslie, commercial director of Shetland-based Northwards, said up to 40 per cent more resources are used on some trips and trailers may have to wait up to a week to get a return journey with existing pressures, and while tourism opening up and the renewables industry growing are welcome it is set to exacerbate capacity issues.

DAY ONE: Frustration as Scotland's CalMac ferries face freight, tourism pressure

The Scottish Government, which owns CalMac and contracts Serco NorthLink in the Nothern Isles, said it is developing island connectivity “more broadly, bringing together aviation, ferries and fixed links, along with connecting and onward travel”.

The Herald: Donald Macleod, of DR Macleod.Donald Macleod, of DR Macleod.

Mr Macleod said the position is “ridiculous”.

“I’ve been doing this job for over 40 years now and I’ve never seen it as bad as it is now,” he said. “It’s the worst it’s ever been by some margin.

“I’m CalMac’s largest customer, I give them £250,000 every month. CalMac operate the routes, Transport Scotland and the Government in due course run CalMac.”

READ MORE: CalMac ferry network faces disruption after further repair delay

The taxpayer-funded Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited procures publicly-owned CalMac’s ships on behalf of the Scottish Government. Mr Macleod said this structure is “a flop”.

Northwards was formed in 2002 after a management buyout from P&O Scottish Ferries of its freight, haulage and maintenance operations and now operates out of depots in Shetland, Orkney, Aberdeen, Inverness, Scrabster and Glasgow, spending around £5m a year on ferries.

The Herald: Neil Leslie of NorthwardsNeil Leslie of Northwards

Mr Leslie said a third ferry should be added to the north fleet as renewables activity increases in the area.

“There are two daily passenger ferries a day and three to five freight ferries a week,” said Mr Leslie. “There could be a lot more than that. It could be so much better for industry in the islands.

“If you can’t get good daily connections in both directions you can’t expect businesses to thrive or to grow.”

He said: “We are getting a lot of freight moving here which is fine but again that exacerbates what’s going to happen on the ferries over the next two years.”

A spokesperson for CalMac said: “Planning and allocating spaces for commercial customers in advance has meant that CalMac is meeting the demand as it is presented for shipping at ports. A tailored combined timetable has been put in place to allow shellfish to be transported from Barra and South Uist to the mainland in time to get to fish markets.”

Kris Bevan, Serco’s freight manager for NorthLink Ferries, said: “Peaks in freight demand, particularly in the autumn when we experience large volume of livestock traffic in common with our regular JIT commitments, regularly result in us operating a third freighter. This is of course dependent on charter market availability. The planned freighter replacement programme takes account of projected market growth and has been constructed with input from key haulier customers.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Since 2007 we have invested more than £2 billion in the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, Northern Isles Ferry Services and ferry infrastructure.”

It said it is also “developing a revised stakeholder strategy”.

The spokesperson also said: “We acknowledge customers’ frustrations during periods of disruption and remain committed to supporting vital lifeline services. We fully recognise the key role ferry services play in supporting the economic, social and cultural development of island and remote mainland communities.

“Transport Scotland is currently working with CMAL, CalMac and others to develop investment programmes for major vessels and small vessels. This work will look to deliver improvements, building on the substantial investment which has been made across these services in recent years. The investment programme for the next five years was set out in the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan and is supported by a commitment of at least £580 million.

“We are developing an Islands Connectivity Plan as the replacement to the previous Ferries Plan (2013-2022), following the publication of the National Transport Strategy and the National Islands Plan."

Tomorrow: Physical distancing and passenger priority on ferries during tourist season