Businesses on South Uist are calling on the Scottish Government to come good on their promise of £4.4 million of resilience funds for those worst affected by the ongoing ferry crisis. Over a month since the announcement of the fund, no further details have emerged.
The call comes as South Uist’s designated ferry, MV Lord of the Isles, affectionately known as the Loti, finally returns to her home port of Lochboisdale, for the first time since Hogmanay.
Today (Saturday) sees the first service between South Uist and its “usual” mainland port of Mallaig for almost six months. The route is stipulated in the CalMac contract but is treated with significant degrees of flexibility with the vessel regularly often withdrawn to cover ship breakdowns elsewhere.
The Scottish Government’s original announcement came the day before Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop travelled to the island to attend South Uist Business Impact Group’s (SUBIG) crisis meeting, where over 50 businesses presented testimony on how the ferry crisis has affected them.
Since the meeting, the business group has heard no further mention of the fund.
John Daniel Peteranna, a director of local community landowner Storas Uist, said: “Uist has suffered a severely reduced ferry service all this year. Island businesses stand ready to work with the government on how the fund might work but are disappointed at the government’s slow approach.
“This fund is urgently needed to ensure island businesses can survive until the ferry service improves.”
The Loti is the only “large” ferry in CalMac’s fleet capable of entering Mallaig harbour while also able to sustain a timetable to South Uist. At 37 years old she is one of the oldest in the fleet and prone to breakdowns. Last September a fire in the engine room during the crossing led to its removal from service for weeks, further disrupting the island’s economy.
Her return allows the island’s full summer timetable to finally commence, albeit two months later than planned.
► £4.4 million resilience fund announced for island businesses
This shorter route to Mallaig, only three and a half hours instead of the five and a half to Oban that businesses, families and other travellers have endured for the past six months, also means South Uist will benefit from two sailings a day on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the full summer timetable.
But as the MV Lord of the Isles slunk into her berth on Friday evening, shrouded by squalls of long absent rain, islanders know that this full summer timetable will last for only a fortnight.
For most of June and July CalMac is cutting one service a week to the island and redirecting two others to distant Oban instead of Mallaig.
John Daniel Peteranna said: “Island businesses and families need a timetable they can rely on. We shouldn’t live in fear of our service being cut every time there’s a problem somewhere else in CalMac’s fleet. We call on the government to present the details of the resilience fund.”
South Uist has suffered a severely reduced ferry service for several months with capacity limited to just 45 passengers. With its regular ferry finally returned from helping out on routes to islands CalMac prioritises above South Uist, there is cautious optimism from hospitality and other businesses that something might yet be made of the summer season.
CalMac ferry appears after lengthy absence but no sign of Scottish Government promised resilience fund
24 May 2025
A welcome sight shines out in Lochboisdale
