Urgent stand-in for broken ferry 21/2/14
The Stornoway ferry MV Isle of Lewis is out of action until further notice. She broke down within hours of her going back into service after an extended overhaul.
Engineers worked overnight trying to fix the issue. After two hours of sea trials in the early hours of today (Sat) the decision was taken to take her out of service.
The much smaller and slower MV Isle of Arran has been called in to cover on the Ullapool to Stornoway route.
Operator Caledonian Macbrayne said: “Until further notice on the Ullapool-
“This vessel takes approximately 3¼ hours on passage. Customers should take note of extra time for any connecting transport.
“Cal Mac Ferries apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.”
The MV Isle of Lewis broke down on her very first working run after undergoing three weeks of upgrades in Liverpool.
Waiting passengers were told she was not going to sea after arriving at Ullapool on Friday morning.
Yesterday’s sailings were cancelled, as was today’s first run out of Stornoway. Travellers were diverted via Skye and Tarbert.
After being despatched north, the Arran picked up passengers from Ullapool late morning (Sat).
She will be running behind schedule for the rest of the day but will get everyone home.
Cal Mac said the MV Isle of Lewis is suffering “technical problems.”
It is understood the issue is connected with her rudder which controls the ship’s steering and that divers have carried out an underwater survey at her stern.
The MV Isle of Lewis apparently also encountered different technical problems -
Instead of returning to service after a two week drydock refit, she had to stay at a yard in Birkenhead by Liverpool to get her turbo chargers replaced. The manufacturer advised the upgrades for safety reasons.