A deal involving a vessel to be drafted in to assist CalMac’s operations after multiple breakdowns and the resulting backlog has been withdrawn today.
Pentland Ferries was in talks to charter its 70.6m MV Pentalina - with capacity for 247 passengers - to publicly funded CalMac to serve routes on the west coast of Scotland.
Despite successful berthing trials and constructive discussion, the family business, which runs a ferry service connecting Orkney to the mainland, has decided not to enter the agreement as it says it would have the potential to cause “severe risk and reputational damage”.
READ MORE: Car fire hits CalMac ferry causing service disruption
The ferry was supposed to operate services to Arran and Mull to “enhance capacity and resilience” within the CalMac network.
CalMac’s CEO Robbie Drummond said: “Unfortunately, Pentland Ferries have decided not to enter into a charter agreement for the use of the MV Pentalina on our network.
“We are surprised and disappointed by this unexpected news. However, this was entirely a decision for Pentland Ferries in relation to the use of its vessel.
“CalMac has been investigating the use of the MV Pentalina to provide additional resilience to our network.
“Berthing trials had shown she could successfully operate services to Arran and Mull and we were looking forward to her deployment.
CalMac chiefs said they will continue to work with and Pentland Ferries and remain open to a chartering agreement should the firm revisist its decision.
They have also apologised to island communities who had been involved in the discussion and thanked them for their patience.
Managing director of Pentland Ferries, Andrew Banks, said: “While we were very much looking forward to working with CalMac Ferries to help provide a solution to the challenges being faced by the island communities on the west coast of Scotland, it has become clear that issues outwith our control are likely to arise over the lifespan of the contract to threaten the commercial viability.
READ MORE: Sea trials for catamaran earmarked for Scotland's troubled ferry network
“Unfortunately these issues, which fundamentally stem from the very different status of a public-funded service compared to a small private operator such as ourselves, have given us no alternative but to withdraw from the discussions.
“I would like to stress that the talks with CalMac Ferries were positive and constructive and the vessel herself is safe and very suitable for service on the west coast.
“However, our priority has to be to the continued viability of Pentland Ferries, and to our employees and passengers.
“We cannot commit to a scenario whereby external factors have the potential to cause severe risk and reputational damage to the business that we have worked so hard to build, and unfortunately we have therefore let CalMac know of our decision.”
Calmac says the MV Pentalina would be able to operate the following routes, but each presents infrastructural and logistical challenges:
- Ardrossan to Brodick – only from the Irish berth, which is in poor condition and not resilient in certain wind conditions
- Oban-Craignure – while she could offer an island based service, extended turnaround times from single-ended operation means she could not meet summer or winter timetable
- Ullapool-Stornoway – Maritime and Coastal Agency (MCA) wave and wind safety restriction on the vessel means that services in the winter may be less resilient.
- Oban-Port Askaig – would offer additional resilience but is currently not a scheduled route.
READ MORE: Emergency CalMac vessel taken out of service over 'safety' concern
The vessel would have been temporarily chartered by Pentland Ferries, which would remain in control of operations, providing the vessel and the crew to deliver the timetable, while CalMac would have supplied staff to support the onboard retail offering.
Last week, the Herald revealed the MCA, the agency regulating safety standards, said the MV Pentalina catamaran would remain out of service until technical issues would be resolved.
The MCA said there were "discrepancies" uncovered over structural fire protection relating to the passenger accommodation and a corridor providing access to the crew accommodation and galley servery.
Pentland Ferries said the MV Pentalina has undergone annual surveys and inspections by authorities and remains available for charter or sale.
Ferry bosses had first inquired about chartering Pentalina on March 26 - nearly three weeks before the engine failure of CalMac's biggest vessel, MV Loch Seaforth, which caused seven weeks of chaos across Scotland's lifeline ferry network.
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