LIFELINE services on a key island route have been shut down due to a breakdown of one of the the CalMac ferry fleet's oldest vessels.
Services between Oban and Kennacraig on the mainland, and the islands of Colonsay and Islay were cancelled for the rest of the day this morning after 37-year-old MV Hebridean Isles developed engine problems.
The third oldest ferry in the CalMac fleet has been removed from service while repairs are carried out.
The Scottish Government-controlled ferry operator said: "We are in the process of contacting all customers who will be affected by this disruption. Apologies for this inconvenience.
"Disrupting a sailing is a decision we do not take lightly because we know it will inconvenience our customers and the communities we serve. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."
MV Finlaggan is expected to continue to support some island services on a different route that does not serve Colonsay. It is thought that the next service to Colonsay will not be till Thursday.
The islands suffered further disruption for three days at the end of June June when the vessel encountered further issues with its port main engine that needed repaired.
Garry MacLean vice convener of the Islay community council ferry committee then raised issues with the service with MSP in the Scottish Parliament.
We were due to go to Colonsay today; @CalMacFerries sailing cancelled as MV Hebridean Isles has engine trouble. Last leg of our holiday up in smoke, and best weather we’ve seen being wasted trying to find accommodation in Oban (busy!). We bear expenses until successfully claimed. pic.twitter.com/xbgBHaqNaR
— Family ByCycle (@FamilyByCycle) August 24, 2022
He said there was only four boats that are capable of coming to Islay and their average age is over 30 which "creates issues".
He said: "The crux of the matter is that capacity and reliability are so important to our island community because, at the end of the day, it is very much a lifeline ferry service for the local community. It is very difficult to assess the impact, day to day, other than to echo what was said about the local community trying to go to the mainland to fulfil appointments, go shopping, see family and basically live a normal life that is not impeded by our slightly more remote location.
"As for business, we have nine functioning whisky distilleries on Islay, which require goods coming in and going out that are all quite time sensitive. Therefore, we require a large freight capacity. If any little cog in the machine breaks down, that has a disproportionate effect on everyone else. In our case, it happens to be the ferries—all too regularly, unfortunately.
"With the whisky industry comes tourism, from which a lot of people derive their primary income either directly or tangentially. If people have a bad experience, they are less likely to come back. If they try to book and there is no availability at a time that is convenient, they will go elsewhere.
"The disruption is something that really cannot be overestimated."
Hebridean Isles was taken out of action when it developed hull problems in mid-September last year.
It is the latest in a summer of issues with breakdowns involving Scotland's ageing ferry fleet.
Earlier this month two Outer Hebrides routes being shut down for three days and ferry user groups have been demanding a proper contingency plan - including the bringing in of at least one new ferry.
The issues emerged after the 22-year-old MV Hebrides was taken out of action because of issues for the third time in as many weeks with its firefighting system causing a series of cancellations across the network.
Seventeen of CalMac's 35 working ferries deployed across Scotland are now over 25 years old.
The oldest in the CalMac fleet is is the Isle of Cumbrae which is 46-years old.
It comes against a backdrop of two vital ferries needed to help begin to replace an ageing fleet running at least five years late with costs escalating to at least two-and-a-half times the original budget.
The issues at nationalised Inverclyde shipyard Ferguson Marine mean that Glen Sannox will not see service till between March and May 2023 at the earliest, while Hull 802 is not due to set sail till between October and December 2023.
MV Hebridean Isles has been withdrawn from service due to an issue affecting one of the vessel’s main engines, which requires a cylinder head to be changed. As a result, the 09:45 sailing from Kennacraig to Oban, via Port Askaig and Colonsay was cancelled today, and MV Finlaggan will now operate an amended timetable between Kennacraig and Islay for the remainder of today.
A Calmac source said: "Engineers are currently stripping the engine in preparation for the cylinder head change and a necessary pump is being transported to the vessel from MV Caledonian Isles."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel