A military team is assessing if the Ministry of Defence can provide a temporary replacement for a trouble-hit Highland ferry service.
The MV Corran, which is used by residents to cross Loch Linhe in Lochaber, is out of action for repairs.
A reduced service has been running on the five-minute crossing since January.
Highland Council is currently only running a foot passenger service from Corran to the Ardnamurchan peninsula after relief vessel MV Maid of Glencoul broke down, leaving drivers with a 42-mile round trip.
The Herald previously reported that the cancellation of the service due to faults on the 47-year-old Maid of Glencoul over the Easter weekend prompted anger among drivers and politicians.
READ MORE: 'Great start to Easter': Drivers and politicians react as Highland ferry suspended
An end to the diversion could soon be in sight, after a team of MoD experts were sent to work with the council and other local agencies to explore potential options.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We have accepted a request from the Scottish Government for an assessment team to explore the feasibility of providing a temporary replacement for the Corran ferry service.”
The ferry is usually the busiest single-vessel route in Scotland, carrying more than 270,000 cars a year.
First Minister Humza Yousaf admitted earlier this week there are “challenges” around the overall ferry network.
“We know that there are challenges around the resilience of the ferry network, we know the age of some of the fleet. We are committed to the ferry network but yes there are challenges around its resilience, there’s no escaping that.”
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