Reduced ferry service mooted for Skye triangle run

3 March 2024

Tarbert and Lochmaddy could suffer a reduced ferry service if a CalMac contingency proposal proceeds.

Regular vessel, MV Hebrides, may be reassigned to island of Arran, it is believed, during the lengthy outage of their ship, MV Caledonian Isles which is expected to be out of action until mid-June, and quite possibly even longer, due to structural strengthen and weakened steel issues.

CalMac has drawn up options for three scenarios for an inevitable reshuffling of its depleted fleet across the network to tackle the serious dilemma of operating without the major vessel.

► CalMac braced for summer chaos as major ship remains out of action for £5 million repairs

Barring delays to her return from dry dock, the Hebrides should be available for a potential transfer to the Ardrossan - Brodick run from next weekend.

Under one proposition, MV Alfred, would take over the Skye triangle route following her own annual maintenance thus releasing MV Clansman - currently operating the link as relief vessel - to her usual Coll, Tiree, and Colonsay service.

However, any removal of the Hebrides from the busy Harris and North Uist routes would result in a cut in service, particularly on the run-up to the Easter holidays and into the summer.

Under an alternative course of action, CalMac is understood to be considering the possibility of taking MV Isle of Lewis away from Barra at some point to operate on the Skye triangle and send MV Hebrides to Arran.

Another approach is for CalMac to redeploy MV Isle of Lewis to Arran for a potential Troon - Brodick service with the Alfred joining her as second vessel. The current combined service with a shared vessel for Castlebay and Lochboisdale would continue for a number of weeks until MV Isle of Arran picks up Barra sailings and MV Lord of the Isles returns to South Uist.

In the coming days, CalMac will reveal which communities will receive a diminished service. Amended timetables for the summer timetable period are also expected to be published.

Finalised re-shaped summer deployment plans due to be published on Tuesday.

Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: “We know the fact we are having to redeploy vessels has caused concern in communities across the whole network, and I would like to thank everyone for their understanding and for taking the time to provide their views on several potential redeployment options.

“Given our fleet was already stretched to the limit, 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 are not taken lightly.

“The network will soon benefit from new vessels which will help to provide the resilient service communities deserve. Until they are operational, we will continue to do whatever we can to provide a reliable service.”