More delays for new Stornoway ferry 24/9/14
The delivery of the new Stornoway ferry, MV Loch Seaforth, has been delayed yet again after more shipyard snags.
The reputation of never being late was a factor in choosing the Flensburger yard in Germany to build the vessel.
Now it has to pay “fines” in penalty clauses for taking so long to finish the work,
The £42 million ship should have been plying Minch route between Ullapool and Lewis in July.
No date for her handover is available, said Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL)
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The fleet is presently leased to Caledonian Macbrayne which holds the contract for the ferry services.
However, delays in completing the construction work at the pier in Stornoway harbour
is the real, outstanding hold-
The 7,800 gross tonnaged Loch Seaforth is expected to ready and waiting in Stornoway before the extension of the ferry linkspan pier is completed.
The pier will not be ready in time for the new ferry, says Cmal
Tom Docherty, chief executive at Cmal said: “I am disappointed that there has been a further delay to the MV Loch Seaforth by the shipyard in Germany.”
He said the “original plan” was to have sea trials in the first week of September after the ship left a drydock in Denmark.
However, the detour to Denmark seems to be a recent requirement -
In any case, July was the initial delivery deadline promised.
Mr Docherty, repeated his stance from the summer that ensuring “the vessel is completed to a high standard,” is more important than completion deadlines.
A Cmal spokesperson said: “The propeller hubs on the MV Loch Seaforth required a manufacturer's upgrade and this was done in Denmark as the shipyard there was the nearest dry dock which could accommodate the ship.
“The sail from Flensburg -
The 116 metre long vessel will replace both the present freight and the passenger ferries.
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