COUNCIL works on a pier have contributed to the the suspension of all services to two stricken islands as adverse weather was blamed for the withdrawal of three others.
Routes to North and South Uist, which have suffered major disruption since the start of the year, saw services suspended on Wednesday morning with further disruption expected on Thursday.
The state-owned ferry operator CalMac said that adverse weather with strong winds gusting to 59 mph combined with ongoing council pier works at Lochmaddy on North Uist meant services had to be suspended on Wednesday.
The ferry operator said the issues restricted vessel manoeuvrability in the harbour area, making it "unsafe to arrive and depart in the forecasted wind speed and direction".
CalMac said: "The safety of our passengers, ships and crew must come first.
"We are in the process of contacting all customers who will be affected by this disruption."
Services were also suspended to Lochboisdale on South Uist because of winds of firstly 36mph and then later 52mph, according to the ferry operator.
"Cancelling a sailing is a decision we do not take lightly because we know it will inconvenience our customers and the communities we serve," CalMac said.
"However, the safety of our customers and crew must come first. In this instance, the Master of the vessel has judged it is necessary in response to the assessment of adverse weather conditions."
CalMac has previously warned users that the works associated with a £15.3m pier upgrade which restrict vessel movement in the harbour area can be cancelled at short notice.
It told users to expect further disruption with an amended timetable on Tuesday.
In April, George Leslie Ltd began replacing the existing infrastructure at the west coast ferry terminal to cater for a new fleet of vessels.
The issues emerged as Transport Scotland announced that work has begun to procure two new ferries at a cost of £115m to support flagging CalMac lifeline services with Uist and Harris to benefit.
It was hoped that both ferries will be in place by 2026 and that they will serve the communities of Harris and North Uist, which have suffered severe disruption since the beginning of this year.
In August, islanders complained that shops on North and South Uist had been forced to ration essential items in the wake of widespread ferry cancellations due to a broken down vessel.
Adverse weather has also been blamed for the suspension of the services on Wednesday from the mainland to Armadale on Skye and the freight services to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis which will run into Thursday.
The Gourock to Dunoon service was also suspended and CalMac said that a shuttle service was to operate "as close to the original timetable as possible".
It was to run from Gourock to McInroy’s Point and from Dunoon to Hunter’s Quay until further notice.
Residents on Uist complained of food shortages being imposed by local shops in August with islanders restricted to just one carton of milk and one loaf of bread during one ferry breakdown.
Islanders complained to CalMac about food shelves being bare as vital supplies were not reaching shops, while there was evidence of ‘panic buying’. CalMac then insisted all food was being shipped and said it was not fair to say that any shortages were the direct result of the ferry issues.
It comes as island ferries MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802, which were due online in the first half of 2018, with one to serve Arran and the other to serve the Skye triangle routes to North Uist and Harris, are at least five years late, with costs soaring from £97m to nearly £350m.
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