Calmac’s largest ferry is out of service until end of the month

CALMAC’S largest ferry has broken down and will need to be taken to dry dock for “major” engine repairs, taking it out of service until at least the end of April.

The MV Loch Seaforth has been taken off the Ullapool-stornoway route and is likely to be out of service until at least the end of this month.

The problems for the seven-yearold MV Loch Seaforth, which was built in Germany at a cost of £42 million, come as island tourism businesses are looking forward to the easing of lockdown.

A major technical issue to its port engine prevented the Stornoway-toullapool ferry from sailing on Wednesday.

The ship’s freight run was also cancelled. It follows a series of Calmac breakdowns on other routes over the past few years.

Politicians have blasted ferry operator Caledonian Macbrayne for “poor service” and Western Isles Council has called on the operator to compensate affected firms.

Labour Holyrood candidate Shaun Fraser said yesterday that the Western Isles poll on May 6 must be used as a “ferry election” to give the only message SNP politicians would understand.

Mr Fraser said: “The latest Loch Seaforth debacle and the knock-on effects for other islands should be the last straw. It is time to hold the politicians responsible directly to account and this can be done at the ballot box.”

He added: “Even before this happened, I had called for a vessel to be chartered to ease the pressure on an overstretched network. Now this is absolutely imperative and Calmac’s plans for cover throughout the network simply do not add up.

“Everyone in the islands knows that there is an urgent need for decisive action but the SNP, taking island votes for granted, stays silent and pass the buck to Calmac, who are not responsible for this chaos”.

SNP candidate for the Western Isles, Alasdair Allan, urged Calmac to provide all island communities with reassurances about the impact on lifeline services.

“The news that the largest vessel in Calmac’s fleet, serving one of its busiest routes, is out of action is of serious concern,” he said. “It has implications beyond the Stornowayullapool route which she serves.”

“I have spoken with Calmac to raise my concerns and to encourage them to look at all options, including the chartering of vessels from outside the Calmac fleet.

“With the islands about to open up to tourists again, Calmac needs to move swiftly to reassure islanders and businesses over the coming weeks.”

The Isle of Barra ferry, MV Isle of Lewis, is being taken off her own route to cover the Stornowayullapool link. She will pick up the day service from today.

The council’s chair of transportation and infrastructure, Cllr Uisdean Robertson, said: “The failure of Calmac to provide an adequate ferry service to our islands is continuing to put our communities at a disadvantage.

“This is unacceptable and not enough has been done to address the problem. The poor service and inadequate ferry provision has seriously affected our islands over the last few months, particularly in Barra and South Uist where the service has been unacceptable.

“It seems only fair that Calmac compensate these companies for the additional costs that they have no choice but to pay as a result of this service problem.”

Robert Morrison, operations director at Calmac, said: “We appreciate the importance of the passenger and freight service on this route and apologise for the inconvenience this will cause. Please be assured that we are doing our utmost to find solutions.

“We are working closely with the vessel owners CMAL and Transport Scotland to find ways to continue the freight and passenger service between Stornoway and Ullapool.

“Customers wishing to travel today are being diverted on alternative routes.”