Uist hit again as two CalMac ferries are sidelined

The loss of MV Lord of the Isles due a main engine problem that requires repairs has meant that services to and from Lochboisdale on South Uist - which has been at the centre of protests over disruption to services - have been hit since Tuesday with sailings finally suspended on Thursday.

Parts to help repair the vessel were expected to arrive later on Thursday.

And technical problems with MV Portain combined with what CalMac described as "weather limitations" has seen services suspended between Berneray on North Uist and Leverburgh on the Isle of Harris since mid-afternoon on Wednesday. The services on what is an important link in the  Hebridean island chain are to remain suspended on Friday.

It is the return of a problem that manifest itself three months ago and which CalMac was seeking spare parts to fix.

A passenger charter vessel, Karleen Belle, was then brought in to support the service while it was confirmed that the ferry, which can carry 146 passengers and 34 cars, could not operate on certain days.

READ MORE: Scots residents want to ditch ferry for tunnel or bridge in new fiasco

There is no indication of any relief vessel being brought in to deal with the latest disruption.

South Uist protests over services prompted a review over how CalMac acts during ferry breakdowns as it copes with an ageing fleet.

Flashback to the Lochboisdale protest.

The island once again was affected as ferry breakdowns and delays in annual maintenance meant that islanders lost their service for nearly the whole of June.

It drew the short straw because it is felt, according to the way CalMac runs its lifeline service disruption management, that the least number of people will be affected if their allocated vessel, MV Lord of the Isles, is withdrawn to help out elsewhere.

The catalyst for action came when an estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converged on Lochboisdale – the port which links South Uist to the mainland – on June 4 to protest about the cancellations.

It was the catalyst for a series of what some called "PR visits" to the island by Mr Drummond to apologise profusely and try to explain the actions.

One South Uist public meeting attended by some 250 "unanimously" lodged a vote of no confidence in the ferry company angry at the island's treatment.

One ferry user group official told the Herald that it was time for the Scottish Government to reconsider compensation for islanders affected by disruption.

"It is clear that there has been a lack of investment and constant delay in providing ferries that provide lifeline services for islands and not to mention help bring tourists to support our economy," he said. "So islanders have the right to ask that when things are going wrong as a result of government indecision and resulting service failures that they should be compensated for that.

"Islanders are punch drunk with the constant problems that there have been and it is time to say 'enough is enough'."

There has been "dismay" that ministers have refused compensation whhile offering hundreds of householders and tenants affected by Storm Babet grants of £1,500 each as part of a funding package.

Businesses that can prove their trade was severely impacted by storm-related flooding will be given £3,000.

The funding will be given to councils in affected areas to allocate to the tenants and businesses.

A parliamentary vote on providing a multi-million pound fund to compensate islanders hit by disruption to lifeline services due to breakdowns in CalMac's ageing fleet was blocked by the SNP in June.

The motion was put to MSPs after calls from the Lochboisdale Ferry Business Impact Group for a 'resilience fund' to be launched to support islanders who have been consistently hit by cancellations.

But a Labour-led Scottish Parliament motion calling on MSPs to back islanders' pleas for a compensation fund was effectively wiped away by an amendment proposed by SNP transport secretary Màiri McAllan which dropped any mention of the resilience fund.

The South Uist Business Impact Group, raised concerns about the compensation failure to the transport minister Fiona Hyslop estimated that losses to local companies due to ferry disruption reached over £3 million.

A study by MKA Economics shows local businesses losses at around £2.6 million in lost turnover between March and June this year. Combined with the consultancy’s 2022 report on the wider impact of ferry service cuts, the losses amount to at least £3 million.

However, it pointed out that actual losses may be higher than the figure arrived at by the study, which was funded by 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.

The storm grants were agreed in November during the first formal meeting of the Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce.

Ms McAllan said the new grants were in addition to the Scottish government's annual funding for flood risk management and coastal change adaptation over the course of this parliament.

She added the funding sat alongside the Bellwin Scheme, a discretionary fund to help councils facing extra costs as a result of large-scale emergencies, as well as the Scottish Welfare Fund, and additional funds to farming businesses and organisations.

Seven local authorities - Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Fife, South Lanarkshire, Highland, and Moray - have previously notified the Scottish government of a potential claim under the Bellwin scheme.

Brechin in Angus was one of the areas worst-affected by flooding with dozens of residents evacuated from their homes.

The South Uist business impact group was formed in early 2022 in the wake of a two-week disruption to the South Uist service, caused by the sudden and unexpected removal of MV Lord of the Isles for repair work to her firefighting system.

For a short time Uist was left without a service after North Uist's MV Hebrides struck a pier.

It returned to normal service following repairs to its damaged hull.

The outage was preceded by a three-month period which saw the almost complete removal of the service, during which, the locals say, these repairs could have been implemented.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The issues around compensation have understandably been raised and we continue to consider what more we can do to support the communities and businesses affected.

“We are acutely aware of the difficulties caused to island communities by interruption to ferry services and keep the situation under constant review. The most effective answer is to ensure services run reliably, which is why every penny of compensation received from Calmac following interruptions is invested into improving the ferry network.”

A CalMac spokesman said: "An issue with MV Lord of the Isles’ starboard main engine means there will be no sailings from Oban to Lochboisdale [on Thursday] This also means that the 05:20 departing Lochbosidale has been cancelled as the vessel is out of position. We expect an update on further sailings at 730am on Friday."

"An ongoing technical issue on board MV Loch Portain meaning she is operating with only three engines. Combined with forecast adverse weather conditions, it means all sailings between Berneray and Leverburgh on Thursday and Friday are cancelled. An alternative service is available between North Uist and Harris via Lochmaddy and Tarbert using MV Alfred."

Footnote: Lochboisdale sailings started up again from 11am on Friday.