CALMAC has been forced to bring in relief vessels to support stranded island travellers - after the breakdown of another of the ferry operator's ageing ferry fleet has caused fresh chaos to the Outer Hebrides.
A steering fault with 26-year-old MV Loch Alainn meant that the services on the inter-island ferry between Barra and Eriskay - used as an alternative route to the beleaguered South Uist route - have been cancelled since Wednesday afternoon.
The service was providing an alternative route to South Uist - which has had all services stopped due to other breakdowns and delayed annual maintenance checks and has been at the centre of major island protests.
CalMac cancelled sailings for most of June after MV Lord of the Isles, which runs between Mallaig and Lochboisdale, was redeployed to Islay.
The ferry operator has had to charter the passenger-only boat Karleen Belle from Uist Sea Tours to run services between Barra and Eriskay on Wednesday evening and into Thursday afternoon.
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MV Alainn is big enough to take 150 passengers and 20 cars.
Late on Thursday afternoon the ferry operator brought back MV Lord of the Isles early to provide a one off relief sailing for cars so that people hit by the MV Loch Alainn failure were able to get off Barra. The service was to take people between Castlebay and Lochboisdale which has been out of action since the start of the month.
Engineers were expected to examine the ferry on Thursday evening and there were warnings that all sailings between Barra and Eriskay were liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.
One ferry user group official said: "It is astounding to think that you cancel one route, suggest that people can use another and then even that has become a problem due to the state our ferries have been allowed to get into."
It comes after one public meeting on South Uist attended by 250 people and CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond registered a vote of no confidence in CalMac after the latest wave of disruption to hit the area.
The move to visit South Uist has come after an estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converged on Lochboisdale - the port which links South Uist to the mainland - to protest about the decision to stop nearly all services over June.
There are concerns over a route scoring matrix used by CalMac which has been described as "vague" by some, and is expected to ensure the least number of people are affected by any service changes.
South Uist has regularly been hit by cancellations when ferries are re-organised due to breakdowns.
Users have been told by Mr Drummond that the matrix was a "robust process" and "aims to impact the least number of customers possible".
The Scottish Government has ordered a review into the operation of the matrix and asked to ensure that it takes into account the actual economic impact to islands.
Angus Brendan MacNeil, the SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar - formerly the Western Isles - has said that the "debacle" of the last month must never happen again to Lochboisdale, as it was due to open back up for services on Friday.
He said the cost to the community has been "huge" and said there needed to be planning so that Lochboisdale never again takes the full burden of the loss of a vessel during the summer months.
He said an upgrade to the pier at Craignure on the Isle of Mull would have made it more accessible to certain vessels and allowed a re-organisation of the fleet which would prevented the disruption Lochboisdale regularly faces.
“Had a compromise been reached between Craignure, Castlebay and Lochboisdale all services could have been maintained, albeit with a bit of inconvenience rather than complete disruption as Lochboisdale faced.
“One of the main things that needs to happen soon is the upgrade of the pier at Craignure so that the MV Isle of Lewis can do runs to Mull to help with traffic there.
"This would have freed the MV Isle of Mull to do both Lochboisdale and Craignure and then by using the MV Loch Coruisk, the MV Loch Frisa, the MV Isle of Mull and the MV Isle of Lewis, Mull could have had a service, Barra could have had a delayed service and Lochboisdale could have had a service. It would not have been the ideal service to these ports but at least it would not have been anything like the non-service that Lochboisdale had.
"I will be writing to Fiona Hyslop MSP, Minister for Transport to suggest the linchpin of all this is the upgrade of Craignure pier. Allied to this we must face the fact that we have problems with piers being owned by a number of organisations, they are critical island infrastructure and should be all under one umbrella.”
* MV Loch Alainn returned to service after successful repairs with the 7am service on Friday.
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