CalMac is drawing up a fresh schedule of timings for MV Isle of Lewis to conduct delayed berthing trials on the Skye triangle service.
As first revealed by Hebrides News, if the tests are successful, the Isle of Lewis
is to be removed from the Castlebay -
MV Hebrides would then be swapped with MV Isle of Arran on the Brodick run while their vessel, MV Caledonian Isles, is out of action until nearly July due to serious structural and steelwork defects.
Consequences of the delay have an impact on various routes across the CalMac network and not just on the Caledonian Isles’ own Ardrossan to Brodick service.
CalMac has proposed to send the smaller, slower, MV Isle of Arran, to Castlebay.
While the company says it will review potential fleet cascade plans at the time -
The Lewis will return to Barra for a short period at least while the outcome of the berthing trials and other checks are awaited.
MV Isle of Lewis is currently undergoing engine trials off Aberdeen following her extended annual overhaul.
If she passes muster, she could be signed off this weekend. On her homeward voyage the Lewis plans to call in at the three ports on the Skye triangle service to carry out berthing tests at each pier.
The falling into place of a series of important factors are required before she could transfer to the Little Minch services.
The Lewis requires a deeper water depth at each pier and their approaches compared to the vast majority of CalMac ships due to her greater underwater draught. The vessel was built with a 4.2 metre draught creating access difficulties and ruling her out for running a suitable set timetable in many west coast ports.
Mooring bollard layout will be assessed during the trials as well as her fit and vehicle ramps compatibility with each linkspan following upgrades and new fenders during recent pier upgrades.
Identifying at least one safe overnight berth location for the vessel will be a starting point in drawing up potential timetables for Skye triangle sailings.
At present, tidal range appear to pose difficulties for planning timetables as the ship needs safe water clearance under the keel during harbour operations.
Depending on further checks, CalMac may consider operating a tidal timetable to avoid arrival and departure movements during peak low water periods.
A tidal timetable with almost daily different departure times was implemented in 2015 when the Isle of Lewis operate a temporary Skye to Stornoway service during the outage of the Ullapool linkspan.
CalMac said: “Our focus continues to be on protecting services and limiting the impact on customers with the vessels we have available to us.
“We are grateful to our customers and communities we serve for your patience and understanding while we manage the changes to our vessel deployment plans.”
► Reduced ferry service mooted for CalMac’s Skye triangle service
► Fears Barra will lose MV Isle of Lewis as CalMac ‘reshapes’ fleet deployment this summer
► CalMac braced for summer chaos as major ship remains out of action for £5 million repairs
CalMac is seeking to transfer MV Isle of Lewis because of her large capacity.
Consequences of the 31-
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: “Losing one of the larger vessels
in our network during peak season has had a knock-
“Given our fleet was already stretched to the absolute limit, and without any spare vessels available, it is inevitable the loss of one of our larger vessels during peak season will cause some disruption across the wider network.
“But our team has been working hard to evaluate what we can do for our summer timetable to minimise that disruption. Any decisions on vessel deployment have not been taken lightly.
“We are looking forward to welcoming a total of six major and 10 small vessels into the fleet over the next five years. However, we face a difficult period as we wait in anticipation for them to be fully operational on the network. In the meantime, we will continue to work in partnership with local stakeholders and communities to ensure the best possible outcomes for all who rely on our services.”
Delayed berthing trials will steer proposed Western Isles ferry shake-
14 March 2024
