Comhairle ‘tentative’ over £3.5m ferry fund

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) has tentatively welcomed the recent announcement of £3.5m to be invested by the Scottish Government to reduce the risk of vessels breaking down and to return them to service quicker if they do.

Uisdean Robertson, chairman of the comhairle’s transportation and infrastructure committee, said: ‘Our discussions with the previous transport minister confirmed that Transport Scotland was working with both Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and CalMac Ferries to identify ways to improve the resilience and reliability of what is obviously an ageing fleet. We are pleased to see some progress is being made.

‘The announcement of £3.5m is welcomed. We await details of how this funding is to be spent but we are aware that not only are an increasing number of vessels in the fleet becoming more expensive and time-consuming to maintain to the necessary standards because of their age, but the availability of parts and, in some cases, the need to manufacture or fabricate them from scratch, is a growing challenge for the operator.

‘Engineering solutions and a more resilient and reliable supply chain for critical parts will likely form part of the wider strategy and, although we do not envisage it to be affordable within the funding announced, additional spare tonnage for use in the event of disruptions, planned or otherwise, must form part of the solution for the medium to longer terms.’