CalMac will draft in MV Clansman to temporarily boost passenger spaces for South Uist during high pressure points on two weekends later this month.
The Clansman will operate a late afternoon sailing from Oban to Lochboisdale on Saturday 10 and 17 May. She will depart the following morning to the mainland.
As reported by Hebrides News earlier, MV Lord of the Isles (Loti) is expected to make a long overdue return to her own Uist route on Sunday 19 May.
The Loti’s transfer from Islay hinges on MV Finlaggan completing her annual drydocking by then.
South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) say they are “disappointed” to have heard nothing from CalMac despite promises at a crisis summit a fortnight ago.
Since then, Uist’s ferry service has worsened with reduced capacity also affecting the Lochmaddy route.
Redeploying the Clansman stems from a proposal from the South Uist Business Impact
Group to tackle the pent-up demand for travel to South Uist.
The group said the same island community should be forced to suffer such prolonged disruption.
CalMac is being pressed to increase ferry capacity for South Uist during the current period of disruption while passenger numbers are limited to a maximum of 45 people on MV Isle of Mull’s sailings between Lochboisdale and Oban.
Clansman to the rescue
2 May 2025
