Ferry disruption: Islanders face a difficult winter, warns minister

Islanders are facing a "challenging and difficult" wintertime due to the fact that of imaginable disruption to ferry services, Scotland's transport curate has warned.

Fiona Hyslop said Caledonian MacBrayne was nether aggravated unit due to the fact that of a deficiency of disposable vessels - but that she was pushing the ferry relation to see "all options" to support lifeline services.

She was responding to an urgent question from 1 of her ain backbenchers aft it emerged the main Arran ferry MV Caledonian Isles whitethorn beryllium retired of enactment each winter.

Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene accused of the SNP of having a "brass neck" for blaming CalMac for problems it had created done years of underinvestment.

Hyslop told MSPs the latest hold to the instrumentality of Caledonian Isles - which has been retired of enactment since January - was "deeply frustrating and concerning".

"Ministers and officials proceed to propulsion CalMac to guarantee each options to expedite repairs are being considered," she said.

She said CalMac was present looking astatine what it meant successful presumption of vas redeployment crossed the full westbound seashore ferry network.

She said 3 options had been shared with land communities earlier way changes are announced adjacent week.

But CalMac had to equilibrium the value of the engaged Arran way with the request to support lifeline services elsewhere, she added.

"That's the hard balancing enactment successful what is going to beryllium a challenging and hard winter," she said.

"We thought that past wintertime would beryllium the play that would person caused astir issue, and we should person seen astatine slightest the Glen Sannox vas successful by now."

Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene accused the SNP of having a "brass neck", saying the authorities was yet to blasted for the problems, alternatively than CalMac.

"Let maine archer you wherever the failures prevarication successful this full ferry ungraded - it's close determination connected the SNP beforehand benches," helium said.

"That is the crushed - the deficiency of investment, the deficiency of advancement successful caller vessels. I haven't heard a azygous solution from the curate contiguous connected what CalMac is going to bash to code this situation.

"They are wholly retired of vessels and they are wholly retired of options."

Hyslop said that was untrue, and that CalMac inactive had options to support services.

The westbound seashore ferry relation is facing a cleanable tempest of problems arsenic it tries to program a wintertime docket without 2 of the 10 large vessels it usually relies on.

MV Caledonian Isles has been retired of enactment since superior corrosion was discovered during yearly attraction successful January, which required the removal of each its engines portion repair enactment was carried out

The 31-year-old vessel returned from the Cammell Laird shipyard successful Merseyside past month, but earlier it could transportation passengers again, a caller gearbox fault was detected which required respective much weeks to fix.

On Tuesday, CalMac revealed much problems had been discovered which could enactment the vessel retired of enactment until precocious March.

Another ample ferry, Hebridean Isles, volition beryllium retired aboriginal this period due to the fact that it is nary longer considered feasible to get it done its mandatory five-year survey

The long-delayed Arran ferry Glen Sannox, being built astatine the Ferguson shipyard, is 3 weeks past its latest transportation date.

Once delivered, CalMac volition request six-and-a-half weeks of unit familiarisation trials positive an already-booked yearly overhaul successful December earlier it becomes operational.

Several different vessels volition person to beryllium withdrawn from work for their scheduled wintertime attraction enactment successful the coming months.

The accomplishment of the archetypal of 4 caller ample ferries being built successful Turkey has besides been delayed until March adjacent year.

A program to charter an other ample vessel, MV Ben-My-Chree, from the Isle of Man Steam Package Company was dashed past week erstwhile the vessel was incapable to berth safely astatine Brodick harbour connected Arran.

CalMac is presently maintaining ferry services to Arran utilizing the Ferguson-built MV Isle of Arran - nicknamed the "Auld Trooper" due to the fact that it is 40 years aged - and a catamaran MV Alfred which is being chartered astatine a outgo of £1m per month.

Government-owned CaMac utilized to adhd a caller ample vas to its fleet each 2 oregon 3 years, but since 2007 the relation of ferries procurement has been the work of a antithetic state-owned company, CMAL.

Since past lone 2 ample vessels person been delivered, MV Finlaggan successful 2011 and MV Loch Seaforth successful 2015.

The dual-fual LNG vessel Glen Sannox and its sister vas Glen Rosa were some meant to beryllium delivered successful 2018.

But plan challenges and a bitter quality betwixt CMAL and the erstwhile Ferguson shipyard owners implicit costs resulted successful the steadfast going bust and being nationalised.

Much of the CalMac fleet is present beyond its expected work life.

Fiona Hyslop pointed retired that six caller ample vessels are nether operation - including Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa which are some earmarked for the Arran route.

CMAL has besides begun the procurement process to regenerate 7 tiny ferries, with the declaration expected to beryllium awarded adjacent March.