Checks will be carried out at CalMac ferry ports and on ferries early on Saturday morning to ensure it is safe to resume sailings following Storm Eowyn.
When service resume, essential travel only is advised. Lifeline goods and services will be prioritised therefore some bookings may be displaced.
The caution follows an incident on Islay where a large ferry gangway has gone missing
from the pier at Port Ellen. The 18-metre-long structure is suspected to have been
swept into the water and submerged on the pier linkspan berth. Until the gangway
of recovered the berth is closed to all vessels including the ferry.
Western Isles ferries plan to operate from the early morning though sailings on remain at high risk of disruption or cancellation at short notice.
MV Loch Seaforth’s timetable is expected to recommence as scheduled at 7am.
Lochboisdale’s Saturday morning departure will be delayed to noon. The return sailing is cancelled and the vessel will berth overnight in Oban and sail at 9am the following day. The Sunday run out of Lochboisdale is cancelled as the vessel will be out of position.
MV Hebrides has drawn up a busy amended timetable to get people moving on Saturday, leaving Tarbert at 8.30am, involving two return runs to Lochmaddy and docking at Tarbert in the evening.
Barring the discovery of storm damage, inter-island crossings are expected to operate
as normal.
South of the Western Isles and Skye where the storm hit the worst, CalMac operations for Argyll and the Clyde will remain cancelled until at least 10am on Saturday to allow for important safety checks to be carried out following Storm Éowyn.
This will allow staff and crew to safely carry out vital procedures during daylight hours to check for possible damage to vessels and port infrastructure.
Western Isles ferry sailings resume in the early morning
24 January 2025
