Skye group calls for urgent review of ferry services
A SKYE transport group has called for an urgent ‘root and branch’ review of ferry services across the West Coast.
Sleat Transport Forum (STF), on Skye, is urging the Scottish minister for transport and the islands Humza Yousaf and Transport Scotland to conduct a review of CalMac Ferries Ltd following recent disruption to the services network in the Clyde and Hebrides area.
Roddy Murray, chairman of STF, said: ‘Communities across the West Coast and islands of Scotland have seen unprecedented disruption to services caused, in part, by a catastrophic programme of winter vessel dry-docking, and decisions to redeploy vessels on routes only for these to be reversed following understandable public and political pressure.
Mr Murray claimed that the ‘long-troubled’ Mallaig-Armadale route is about to enter its ‘third season of disruption’ after the news that a back-up vessel to the MV Loch Fyne has been delayed by a further two weeks.
Mr Murray continued: ‘Business in south Skye, Mallaig and Lochaber are now experiencing significant reductions in visitor numbers and one popular attraction in Sleat has reported a 25 per cent drop in visitor numbers compared to 2017 and a 50 per cent coach cancellation rate so far this season as a result of the ferry cancellations which by April are expected to total 125 in the first 25 days of the summer.’
CalMac responded to Mr Murray’s concerns and said that this is an ongoing situation.
A spokesperson said: ‘Due to technical issues outwith our control, we are currently operating with one major vessel in the fleet down. This has a knock-on effect across our network which we have to manage as best we can within the resources we have available, to continue to provide lifeline services to all communities we support in as fair and equitable a way as we possibly can.’
In a statement last month, new interim managing director at CalMac, Robbie Drummond, said that he was ‘acutely aware’ of the scale of the challenge that lies ahead over the next seven months as CalMac’s ‘ageing fleet’ prepares for what it is expecting to be the company’s busiest summer on record.
However, SFT chairman Mr Murray sees this as a warning of further disruption across the network this summer.
‘The disruption both in recent weeks, and for several years, is now beginning to jeopardise the economic viability of some communities across the region and is seriously affecting the travel plans of the hundreds of thousands of visitors on whom these communities heavily depend,’ he said.
‘The time for talking and apologies is over. The Scottish Government needs to assess its priorities for West Coast and islands ferry services and invest now in vessels and ports.’