Long-serving ship retires from CalMac duties
ONE OF ferry operator CalMac’s longest-serving vessels is retiring from west coast service.
MV Raasay served the Sconser to Raasay route for 21 years from her launch in 1976 until increased traffic from the island made her unsuitable. She then became one of the fleet’s relief vessels until being put back into regular service in 2003 as the winter ferry serving Kilchoan to Tobermory.
She was the last of eight ‘Island class’ ferries launched and is capable of carrying six cars and up to 75 passengers.
‘Island’ class vessels transformed services for CalMac. They opened up a new route to Arran, two additional routes to Mull and provided a safe and reliable link from Skye to Raasay. Being virtually interchangeable, they greatly increased the flexibility of the fleet.
Jonathan Davies, CalMac’s small vessel technical superintendent, said: ‘The Raasay has been an excellent servant over the years and it is always sad to see a vessel with so much history with the company moving on.
‘Her excellent sea-keeping properties meant that in her many years serving on the Raasay route, she rarely missed a service.
‘An era is coming to an end with the Raasay no longer in the CalMac fleet.
‘I wish her and her new owners well and long may she continue to provide safe passage on our seas.’
CalMac operates a fleet of 33 vessels serving 27 island and remote mainland communities across the West Coast. They are the UK’s largest ferry company last year carrying more than 5.3 million passengers and nearly 1.3 million vehicles.
MV Raasay has now been handed back to owner Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) who are expected to announce a buyer for the vessel shortly.