Ferry operator CalMac has warned of weeks of disruption as three of its ageing fleet have been sidelined due to a new wave of technical problems.
MV Caledonian Isles, MV Coruisk and MV Isle of Mull are set to be held up in overhaul for longer than planned for essential repairs. CalMac said it was working with partners to finalise a timetable of repairs for each vessel.
User groups have been told that that MV Isle of Mull has been hit with a new wave of rust.
The 36-year-old MV Isle of Mull suffered hull rust issues and subsequently engine issues at the start of last year.
The 31-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, is also understood to need steel repairs.
The vessel which serves one of Scotland's busiest routes to and from Arran was sidelined for months at the start of last year.
It was originally withdrawn in early January and was in dry dock for nearly a month with more than £1m of scheduled work being done to the vessel, including engine servicing.
But inspections uncovered further issues including damage to both engines with the estimate for a return at three to five weeks.
But by April user groups were told that as a result of an equipment manufacturer supplying a faulty elastic shaft coupling, the completion of repair works was further delayed.
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MV Isle of Arran had been serving Arran for weeks on its own because of the issues with Caledonian Isles and MV Hebridean Isles, cutting the number of available vehicle spaces to about half.
CalMac say several ferry services across the west coast of Scotland are also expected to be affected by adverse weather this week.
CalMac also anticipates further disruption beyond that due to annual overhaul delays with vessels and a safety issue with the Irish berth at Ardrossan harbour, owned by port operator Peel Ports.
The Irish Berth was put out of action last Thursday when the harbour authority ordered all users to cease operations. It had been expected to be out of action until at least January 24.
The berth is the only one which can be used by the emergency ferry MV Alfred, which has been chartered at a cost of £1m a month to cover for ferry operator CalMac's ageing fleet.
Another berth is still operating and a second ferry MV Isle of Arran will continue to sail to Arran.
CalMac has been forced to make changes to its timetable until March 6 in response to vessels being delayed in annual overhauls, and the Irish berth issue.
During its annual overhaul, engine defects were identified on MV Coruisk, which CalMac say would have affected its reliability. The engines are due to be disassembled, calibrated and cleaned as part of the additional maintenance.
User groups were told that MV Isle of Mull, which entered dry dock at the end of November, has suffered extensive decay in some hull voids.
CalMac says that repairs on the MV Isle of Mull are ongoing, with redocking planned for January 27 to complete the "steel renewal" of the underwater area of the vessel.
The plan is for MV Isle of Mull to return to service on February 9 on the Oban-Craignure service. Until then, MV Loch of Frisa will operate as a single vessel on this route.
Work is ongoing to establish the full timeline of repairs for the MV Caledonian Isles.
One ferry user group official said: "Another week and more chaos on our ferries. It is hard enough to deal with cancellations with the storms, but with ferries unable to operated because they are just too old, you are left with a real crisis."
CalMac has further warned that Scotland is set to be hit by a second named storm in just a few days, with Storm Jocelyn forecast to bring high winds and heavy rain to large parts of the country.
The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for wind and rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.
CalMac said its crews are already working with port staff and other stakeholders to reduce the impact on communities and customers wherever possible.
Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: “It’s a challenging and difficult time for communities, with travel and supply chain interrupted throughout prolonged periods of adverse weather. Whilst disruption is unavoidable, we are continually looking at service resumption options when there’s a weather window and it is safe to do so.
“The safety of our crews, port staff and the customers we serve is our priority. We are always grateful to the communities who use the network for their patience and understanding during storms.”
In response to the berth issue at Ardrossan harbour, CalMac said it was working with partners to establish whether it will be possible to operate MV Alfred from Troon to Brodick.
MV Isle of Arran will continue to serve the Ardrossan to Brodick route on its own.
Finlay MacRae added: “We recognise that timetable changes can cause disruption for customers, and that’s why our team acts quickly in these situations to make sure that all the communities we serve continue to have access to our routes.”
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