Clash over capacity on Oban-Mull ferry
West Coast Motors and Caledonian MacBrayne have clashed over the capacity on ferries going to Mull.
Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors, warned that its Mull Tours coach business, which takes sightseers on coach trips, is in jeopardy unless passenger capacity is extended on the lifeline Oban-Mull service.
But Robert Morrison, operations director at CalMac, said it could not allocate more space onboard to passengers from a ‘private company at the expense of residents and other island businesses’.
The disagreement went public following a statement by the Oban and Lorn Tourism Alliance (OLTA) in support of West Coast Motors and backed by BID4Oban.
Mr Craig, a long-standing OLTA member, warned that the Mull Tours business is facing the ‘very difficult prospect’ of shutting down with the loss of approximately 12 members of staff, mainly based on the island, which he called a ‘disaster’ for tourism on Mull and the wider Oban area. He said other ferry operators are now carrying 56 per cent of capacity but claimed the Mull ferry was running at only 17 per cent. Mr Craig suggested CalMac had delayed implementing the one-metre rule permitted by the Scottish Government last week.
Mr Craig added: ‘From information I have received, the outer deck areas remain closed as does the cafeteria and lounge. Why? It is a question that both OLTA and BID4Oban want answered. As communities and businesses pull together to get our area through this crisis it is extremely worrying that CalMac appears to be behind the curve.’
But CalMac said in response that it had implemented the change and capacity on the Mull service is now up to 35 per cent. The only area closed is the ‘forward cafe’ which had been allocated to staff for meal breaks to maintain social distancing measures, said CalMac.
Mr Morrison, for CalMac, added: ‘Our contract would not allow for us to allocate 30 per cent of available capacity of a sailing to a private company at the expense of residents and other island businesses. That would be unfair to all other passengers.
‘We sympathise entirely with anybody that is seeing their business affected just now but these capacities on each ferry have been arrived at through our expert marine managers, working with health and safety managers and the Scottish Government.’
Passenger and staff health were the company’s ‘top priorities,’ CalMac added.
Linda Battison, OLTA marketing director, said it was crucial that the island’s tourism industry is not ‘hamstrung’ by a lack of capacity on the vital ferry service.
‘Oban has always been the Gateway to the Isles and whilst we encourage visitors to spend time on the mainland, the attraction of easily accessible islands gives us a unique selling point,’ she said.
‘Our tourism industry will suffer if visitors cannot easily travel between the two destinations and Muileachs, too, will be prevented from shopping on the mainland – so this is not just about tourists.’