CALMAC ferry services have been plunged into new turmoil as one of its oldest vessels is to be forced out of action till at least the end of October due to new technical problems.
The 38-year-old MV Hebridean Isles, which has been hit with issues since Boxing Day, was removed from the CalMac firing line on February 16 with freight services providing vital supplies to Arran from Troon suspended.
It has had a series of false dawns over a return to service.
It has led to fears from some users over whether it has a future in the beleaguered fleet.
The Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac has admitted that the vessel will not be available for the remainder of the summer timetable which officially ends on October 22.
It has meant that the Ardrossan to Campbeltown service, which has suffered due to the redeployment of vessels to cope with the loss, will remain out of action till the end of summer timetable period.
CalMac said: "We are sorry that it has not been possible to operate the service this year."
The delay is expected to further stretch ferry services across CalMac's network, which are already at breaking point, with the ageing fleet struggling to cope. Estimates which were given by CalMac in mid- June said that the MV Hebridean Isles should be back in service around July 27.
MV Alfred, the emergency ferry brought in by the Scottish Government at a cost of £1m-a-month for nine months will continue to operate between Ardrossan and Brodick, on Arran, alongside MV Caledonian Isles until September 25.
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The MV Isle of Arran will continue to operate alongside MV Finlaggan on a two-vessel service on Islay over the same period.
Due to the MV Loch Seaforth's departure for an annual overhaul and with MV Hebridean Isles out of action options are being explored for "amended vessel deployment" to provide the vital freight service to and from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
CalMac said that further repairs to the vessels are being investigated due to ongoing technical issues affecting the vessel's manoeuvrability.
The issues with the vessel led to services for longsuffering islanders on South Uist being cancelled for the whole of June.
An estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converged on Lochboisdale - the port which links South Uist to the mainland - in protest over the cancellations and CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond made a trip to meet islanders to explain the decision.
CalMac has said that the final week of the summer timetable will now be released in two phases to manage the extended absence of MV Hebridean Isles, move a "considerable number of bookings" and deal with the "complexities around temporary port closures".
They said that while most timetables will operate as normal, some services have been amended to support the delivery of a new wave of annual vessel maintenance checks.
One ferry user official said there were now serious questions over whether the "decrepit" MV Hebridean Isles will now be just scrapped.
"The problems with MV Hebridean Isles are a continuing concern and residents, businesses and holidaymakers will be hit. There has to be a concern that with all the issues that there have been with it, that it will ever see service again.
"CalMac would probably not have had to rely on MV Hebridean Isles if the two ferries that were due to built and deployed 2018 were not still stuck at Ferguson Marine."
The ferries Glen Sannox and Hull 802 were originally due to set sail in mid-2018 with one initially to serve Arran and the other to serve the Skye triangle routes to North Uist and Harris, but they are well over five years late. It is suggested the costs of delivery may quadruple compared to the original £97m contract costs.
The island of Colonsay is among those that will also be hit by the new changes.
Due to a single vessel service operating on the Islay route from September 25 to October 22, there will be cancellations to the island on September 27 and 30 and October 4, 7, 11, 14 and 18.
CalMac said it was exploring "further options on vessel deployment".
Services to the Small Isles of Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna will be serviced by a specially chartered vessel on October 7, 14 and 21 while MV Loch Fyne is deployed elsewhere on the network.
Meanwhile one of CalMac's busiest services to and from Craignure on Mull will go from a two-ferry service to a single vessel.
MV Loch Frisa will be operating on her own, which the local ferry user group said was "completely inadequate for the task".
Joe Reade, the chairman of the group said: "When introduced, it was ‘sold’ to us as the beginning of a two-vessel service for the winter. That is obviously not the case – instead we seem to be getting the Frisa on her own, with occasional sporadic help when it can be spared."
The vessel was brought in last year to replace MV Coruisk as the second vessel on this route.
Pauline Blackshaw, director of operational planning for CalMac, said: "We apologise for the delay in publishing the final week of the summer timetable. We required extra time to finalise vessel deployment to ensure the best service possible for communities when our scheduled annual overhaul season begins.
“The majority of timetables will operate as normal however, some services have been amended to support the delivery of the overhaul plan. Unfortunately, MV Hebridean Isles will not be available for the remainder of the summer timetable while we continue to investigate further repairs."
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