CalMac’s ageing ferry fleet resulted in cancellations due to technical problems skyrocketing in a decade, new figures show.
Scotland’s ferry operator apologised for a “critical” shortage of ships on Saturday after an eighth vessel was taken out of action for repairs.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has condemned the figures as “shameful” and pledged to end the “SNP ferry fiasco” if he becomes first minister after May’s election.
Figures obtained by the party from CalMac through freedom of information (FOI) requests, revealed the number of ferries cancelled for “technical reasons” increased more than tenfold between 2015 and 2025.
In 2015, technical reasons accounted for 10.4% of cancellations – just 709 out of a total of 6,822 call-offs. The most common reason was poor weather – 80.8%.
There were 153,067 sailings scheduled in 2015, meaning a total of 4.4% were cancelled in total.
But in 2025, 54% of sailings were cancelled for technical reasons, meaning a total of 7,371 services were cancelled out of a total of 13,647 call-offs.
Last year’s figures do not include December 2025.
The weather accounted for 38.2% of cancellations last year – marking the first time in a decade that technical issues have been the main reason for cancelled ferries.
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A total of 156,204 sailings were scheduled last year, with 8.7% cancelled, according to the figures.
CalMac said at the weekend that “virtually every island served by a major vessel” on its west of Scotland network was impacted by the current shortage of ships.
The MV Lord of the Isles, which had been covering the Oban to Mull route, suspended all sailings on Saturday due to an issue with its main engine.
Three other key vessels, including the Glen Sannox, are unavailable because of technical issues, while four other ships are undergoing maintenance.
Ahead of a visit to the Western Isles on Monday, Mr Sarwar has accused the SNP of “incompetence and waste”, warning the cancellations “wreaked havoc” on island communities.
Scottish Labour plans to resolve the crisis – if they win the upcoming election – include merging CMAL and CalMac into a new publicly owned ferry agency, with local representation on the board.
CMAL – Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited – owns, maintains and develops ferries, ports and harbours across the country. CalMac, meanwhile, is responsible for operating the ferries.
A longer-term pipeline for ferry investment has also been pledged to safeguard skilled jobs, while a new procurement process would be introduced to ensure ageing vessels were replaced promptly.
Mr Sarwar said: “Cancellations have skyrocketed because of the SNP’s failure to upgrade Scotland’s lifeline ferry fleet.
“Right across Scotland, the SNP’s ferry fiasco is a symbol of their incompetence and waste – but in our islands it has wreaked havoc with people’s day to day lives.
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“Behind these shameful figures are islanders who have missed weddings, funerals and medical appointments, loved ones who have been separated and businesses that are struggling to stay afloat.
“Enough is enough – it is time to put an end to the SNP’s ferry fiasco and give island communities the reliable lifeline services they deserve.
“Scottish Labour will fix the SNP’s mess and deliver the ferries island communities need.
“We will cut bureaucracy and restore the political accountability that the SNP has been dodging for so long by streamlining cluttered governance structures.
“We will give islanders a real voice in the system and we will reform procurement to deliver a rolling programme of upgrades.
“Islanders, taxpayers and shipyard workers are all being let down by the SNP’s broken system.”
CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison recently said: “The critical situation we find ourselves in has worsened due to MV Lord of the Isles reporting an engine issue.
“A combination of weather, sea swell and technical issues means services are below planned levels on Arran, Barra, Coll, Colonsay, Harris, Islay, North Uist, South Uist and Tiree."
A CalMac spokesperson said: "Technical outages are a significant risk with an aging fleet, and we provide more services than ever before so the demand on those vessels has increased over the years. That is why we're phasing in regular maintenance time across our fleet to drive down the amount of unplanned technical disruptions and cancellations.
"Six major and seven small vessels will join our fleet between 2025 and 2029, and bringing in more modern tonnage should also improve reliability and reduce the amount of technical cancellations."
An SNP spokesman said: "Of course there are challenges, none more so than the unprecedented situation we have right now, but the fact is the solution is more ships and we are building them – what Anas Sarwar has proposed here does nothing to address that fundamental requirement.
“The SNP is getting on with addressing the challenge of renewing our ageing fleet with more than £2 billion invested in ferry services in our time in office – that's what our island communities want to see and that’s exactly what we are doing."
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