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Islanders can vote for the name of the new Stornoway to Ullapool ferry which is due to come into service next summer.

The online competition opens today and voters can select a shortlist of five names for the new-build 116metre, Roll On- Roll Off vehicle passenger ferry that is capable of operating 24 hours a day. The £42 million vessel will have a capacity for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles.

The shortlist put forward by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd  - which leases the ships to the ferry operator - and the Scottish Government are based on associations with North of Scotland locations and the Artic Convoys.

The shortlisted names include:

Loch Seaforth - The MV Loch Seaforth was the name of the MacBrayne mailboat which linked Stornoway with Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh from 1947 until 1972. Never scared of a storm. Grounded once or twice.  No vehicle ramp, cars lifted on and off by derrick. Lengthy, bumpy voyages are fondly remembered by a more hardy breed of nostalgic islanders who scorn gale warnings. Was scrapped after hitting rocks off Tiree. Loch Seaforth is also a sea loch forming the boundary between Lewis and Harris.

Callanish - the well known Lewis village, 13 miles west of Stornoway, which is is the location of the world famous Callanish Standing Stones, the most spectacular megalithic monuments in Scotland.

Loch Ewe - a sea loch used as an assembly point for the Arctic Convoys during World War II. Ships from the British, American and other ports gathered here before sailing to Murmansk from September 1942 following the disaster of Convoy PQ 17 in order to confuse German intelligence

Cape Wrath - a headland in Sutherland. The land between the Kyle of Durness and the lighthouse that is situated right at the tip is known as the Parph.

Loch Broom - after the sealoch on the mainland side of the Minch crossing to Ullapool.

Voting can be done online via: www.cmassets.co.uk/en/our-work/projects/current-projects/stornoway-ullapool-ferry-competition.html.

Voting closes at midnight on Friday 5th April.  The winner will be drawn on the following Monday.  

One person chosen at random from those suggesting the most popular name will be invited as a special guest (with a friend) to the ferry's launch in Germany, as well as winning a one day ferry crossing of their choice, courtesy of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, for a car and two people.

The competition is open now and voting closes at midnight on 5th April 2013. The winner will be drawn on 8th April 2013.

Guy Platten, Chief Executive of CMAL commented: “We’re looking forward to finding out the most popular name.   Faster, greener and more reliable, the new ferry will provide a critical lifeline service for communities between the Western Isles and the Scottish mainland.”

The new ferry is being built at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft MBH and Co KG - Flensburg, Germany.  Work is still being completed on the final design with building due to begin in September this year.  The ferry will be launched next February 2014, delivered that June and is expected to be on the route by July next year.

Hebrides News: Stornoway ferry

Vote for new ferry name                5/3/13