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Calmac / Northlink Ferry discussion

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Southsider

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ABB125 said:
Why was that subsequently changed?
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Part of it was the logistical difficulties in getting the ‘eco fuel’ to Uig from Felixtowe plus the necessary storage facilities but it also probably made sense to have the same design operating the route. Further developments will see Uig to Tarbert and Lochmaddy have their own ships once the Turkish four are delivered.
 
M

Morayshire

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Hebridean Isles heading off to her final destination according to the BBC

Retired CalMac ferry finally heads to breakers

A retired CalMac ferry is due to begin its final voyage to a breakers yard later, leaving behind a legacy of vital spare parts and mementoes.
Since it was taken out of service last year, MV Hebridean Isles has been painstakingly stripped of anything useful including items destined for a museum, a public garden and a nautical training college.
Engine parts, navigation and other electrical equipment could end up on other CalMac vessels, while the maker's plate is now on display in North Yorkshire where the ship was built in 1985.
The ferry will now be towed to a dismantling facility at Esbjerg in Denmark.
A CalMac spokeswoman said many customers and former crew members would be saddened to see the ship leaving Scotland's shores for the final time.
"She has carried countless passengers, vehicles, memories, and milestones – becoming part of the fabric of the communities she served," she added.
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Known affectionately as "Heb Isles", the ferry was retired from service last November due to the high cost and duration of repairs needed to renew expiring safety certificates.

Since then it has been moored at Glasgow's King George V dock where it was stripped for spares and keepsakes.
After salvaging anything useful, the last remaining CalMac crew members left the ship in May, and the ship was handed back to ferries agency CMAL for disposal.
But the final journey was delayed when CMAL discovered that post-Brexit regulations meant refrigerants and other hazardous chemicals would also have to be removed prior to departure.
A large ocean-going tug has been moored off Greenock for nearly a week, waiting for the final approvals to be signed off so it can begin its departure.
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MV Hebridean Isles won a special place in the hearts of islanders during its many years of service, and numerous mementoes have been retained.

The ship's bell is displayed in a museum on Islay, one of the islands it used to serve, and rows of red seating and lifebuoys were donated to gardens in Port Ellen.

The clock, barometer, and a set of the ship's original bibles were gifted to North Uist Historical Society, while the muster list, compass card and safety signage will go on display in the Lochmaddy ferry terminal.

Other salvaged equipment will have a more practical benefit.

Training materials such as the magnetic compass housing, the fire locker and the emergency equipment locker - with all their contents - have been donated to City of Glasgow College to help prepare future generations of mariners.
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Many CalMac ships are now so old, replacement components are no longer available, meaning they have to be specially manufactured, delaying repair work.

But bits of Hebridean Isles will continue serving the CalMac fleet for years to come after being transferred to a warehouse in Gourock which houses spare parts.

The Mirrlees Blackstone MB275 engines have yielded cylinder heads, fuel pumps and fuel injectors which have been sent off for reconditioning.

The same engines are used by MV Isle of Arran, MV Caledonian Isles, MV Lord of the Isles and MV Isle of Mull - ships which are still part of the CalMac fleet despite being well beyond their expected service life.

The ship's emergency evacuation system has also been salvaged.

The builder's plaque and a section of the hull have been gifted to the North Yorkshire town of Selby where the ferry was launched at the long-gone Cochrane Shipbuilders.

MV Hebridean Isles first entered the water in a spectacular sideways launch in 1985, but seven years later the shipyard closed for good.
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Former Cochrane workers were among those who gathered at Selby Abbey in July for a ceremony to receive the nameplate and celebrate the town's shipbuilding past.

A section of the ship's bulwark which bears the ship's name is being prepared to go on display in a community woodland near the town.

Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of CMAL which owns the ferries operated by CalMac, said the two organisations had worked together in a complex operation to salvage as many useful spare parts as possible.

"We wish her well on her final journey and thank her for her many years of service," he said.
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A

Albaman

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Any idea what work will be carried out on " Glen Sannox " whilst at Birkenhead ? The Caledonian MacBrayne website refers to " a complex scope of work " to be undertaken as part of the annual overhaul.
 
S

Southsider

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Albaman said:
Any idea what work will be carried out on " Glen Sannox " whilst at Birkenhead ? The Caledonian MacBrayne website refers to " a complex scope of work " to be undertaken as part of the annual overhaul.
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I believe it’s annual overhaul and certification plus repair of some substandard welding which has caused her to be taken out of service on a number of occasions.
 
M

Morayshire

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Another delay. Is anyone surprised?

New delay for Turkish-built CalMac ferry MV Isle of Islay

The first of four new CalMac ferries being built in Turkey has been delayed again.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) said it still hoped to take delivery of MV Isle of Islay before Christmas but warned this would be a "challenge".

CMAL had previously told MSPs it expected the ship to be handed over in November, before making the two-week voyage to Scotland.

The government-owned ferries agency says a number of issues are still being addressed before the ferry can be signed off by UK regulators.
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MV Isle of Islay, which will will operate on the Kennacraig to Islay route, is the first of four 95m-long ferries being built for the CalMac fleet at the Turkish Cemre shipyard.

When the contract was awarded it was due for delivery in October last year, but construction has been hit by a series of delays which CMAL says were due to supply chain issues and labour shortages.

In an update letter to Holyrood's net zero, energy and transport committee, CMAL said the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) carried out a final survey in the last week of October, and the shipyard is addressing issues that were raised.

MCA inspectors are due to carry out another final survey on 8 December.

The update letter said: "If all completion activities go smoothly, the shipyard is targeting delivery of MV Isle of Islay prior to the Christmas period.

"This will be a challenge but CMAL, CalMac, Cemre and the regulatory authorities are all working hard and collaboratively towards reaching this target date for vessel delivery just before the Christmas holidays."

The journey to Scotland will involve a refuelling stop at Gibraltar and a journey across the Bay of Biscay.

After arriving in Scotland, CalMac will carry out crew familiarisation and berthing trials at various ports before the ship enters service.

Work is continuing at the Cemre shipyard on MV Loch Indaal - also destined for the Islay route - and two other ferries MV Lochmor and MV Claymore will eventually serve the Western Isles.

CMAL said costs remained "on budget".
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M

Morayshire

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The second of the Scottish built ferries is going to be delayed by another 6 months according to the BBC

CalMac ferry Glen Rosa delayed again by up to six months

The delivery date for MV Glen Rosa - the second of two dual-fuel ferries being built for CalMac - has been pushed back by up to another six months.

The state-owned Ferguson shipyard said corrosion had been discovered during recent inspections and the ship will require an extra period in dry dock next year.

In a letter to MSPs,, external it said that would have a knock-on effect on commissioning the ferry, and it was now aiming to deliver it in the final three months of next year.

In a separate update, external, ferries body CMAL confirmed that MV Isle of Islay, the first of four CalMac ferries being built in Turkey, faces another short delay and will not be handed over this year.

MV Glen Rosa and its sister vessel MV Glen Sannox were meant to enter service in 2018 but the build has been plagued by design challenges and disputes over costs which saw the firm fall back into administration and nationalised.

The second of the hybrid propulsion ships has been moored at the quayside of the Port Glasgow shipyard for fitting out work since its slipway launch in April last year.

At the time of the launch it was hoped it would be handed over this autumn as it was in a far more complete state than Glen Sannox, famously sent down the slipway seven years earlier with painted-on windows and plywood funnels.

But a final push to get Glen Sannox into service saw resources diverted and a nine-month delay for Glen Rosa was announced in May, meaning it has now spent 20 months in the water.

A dry dock inspection in August revealed corrosion in the propeller tubes and deterioration of paint coatings which will require a longer dry docking next year to remedy.

Ferguson Marine said difficulties in securing a timeslot for docking had a knock-on impact on the schedule for commissioning the ship, meaning it was now aiming for delivery within the fourth quarter of 2026.

Chief executive Graeme Thomson, who joined the firm in May, apologised to those affected by the latest delay including island communities.

He added: "Glen Rosa has been and will continue to be a complex project, but the team and I are fully committed to doing everything we can to bring forward delivery and being as transparent as possible about where we are in the process.

"While these setbacks have confirmed historic systemic issues within our operations, they do not define our future.

"We are embarking on an ambitious modernisation journey that will transform Ferguson Marine whilst we work extremely hard to deliver a Clydebuilt vessel that showcases our commitment to the highest standards of safety and quality."

A further update on costs is promised in January. The total bill for the two ships, if money paid out prior to nationalisation and written down government loans is included, stands at about £460m, more than four times the £97m contract price.

MV Glen Rosa is eventually expected to join MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route.

The contracts for the two dual-fuel ships - which can run on marine gas oil and liquefied natural gas - were awarded to the shipyard in 2015, just a year after it was rescued from administration by an investment firm led by Jim McColl, a former economic adviser to the Scottish government.

Initially lauded as the start of a revival of Clyde commercial shipbuilding, the build soon ran into trouble and a bitter stalemate developed over claims for extra costs.

McColl's firm claimed a flawed specification, multiple change requests and interference by the customer - government-owned ferries agency CMAL - had left the firm facing unforeseen design complications and extra expenditure.

CMAL denied this, claiming McColl's management team had underestimated the complexity of the task and made mistakes in their build strategy while at the same time embarking on a disruptive modernisation programme.

The deadlock forced the firm into administration again and it was later nationalised but design and engineering challenges continued under public ownership with repeated delays and ever climbing costs.

A government-appointed turnaround director, Tim Hair, left in 2022 having been paid about £2m while his successor, David Tydeman, was later sacked by the Ferguson board which had lost confidence in him.

The biggest union representing workers at Ferguson's, GMB Scotland, said years of "hubris, incompetence and mismanagement" lay behind the repeated delays.

The dual-fuel ferries are the first vessels of their type built by a UK shipyard and the largest ships ever constructed at Ferguson's which is still working to modernise after decades of underinvestment.

General secretary Louise Gilmour said the 300-strong workforce were not to blame and they shared the frustration of island communities.

She said: "The contracts to build the Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox should have burnished Fergusons worldwide reputation for excellence but, instead, shredded it.

"Skilled and committed shipbuilders were lions led by donkeys as they strove to complete contracts undermined by the hubris, incompetence and mismanagement of ministers, government agencies, and executives from the very start."

The union is calling for the shipyard to be given a fresh start and chance to move on with a ship order better suited to the yard's size and current capabilities.

MV Isle of Islay is the first of four CalMac ferries being built at Turkey's Cemre shipyard

The next new ferry to be delivered for the CalMac fleet will be MV Isle of Islay, the first of four vessels under construction at the much larger Cemre shipyard in Turkey.

The ship, which will serve the Islay route, was originally due for delivery in October 2024 but has also been delayed several times with the shipyard blaming labour shortages and supply chain issues.

CMAL recently announced that some issues identified by the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency regulator during sea trials were being addressed which might delay the final sign-off for the ship beyond the Christmas break.

In a new letter to Holyrood's net zero, economy and transport committee, it confirmed it would not be able to take delivery of the ship until after further inspections had been carried out on 5 January.

The ferry will then commence the two-week journey to Scotland and will have undergo crew familiarisation and berthing trials before it enters service.

The Turkish yard is then due to deliver three more new large ferries, for Islay, Harris and North Uist, at six monthly intervals.
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185143

185143

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Some (un)lucky people are getting to spend the night on board Isle of Lewis tonight.

She's doing an additional sailing at 20:00 from Castlebay to Oban, with an ETA of 09:15. Apparently going to be a slow sail as opposed to either dropping anchor somewhere or taking a longer route.

Have CalMac done a night sailing before?
 
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Jan Mayen

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185143 said:
Some (un)lucky people are getting to spend the night on board Isle of Lewis tonight.

She's doing an additional sailing at 20:00 from Castlebay to Oban, with an ETA of 09:15. Apparently going to be a slow sail as opposed to either dropping anchor somewhere or taking a longer route.

Have CalMac done a night sailing before?
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Do CalMac still have cabins? I have a vague recollection of using one from the outer Hebrides in thec1990's.
 
185143

185143

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Jan Mayen said:
Do CalMac still have cabins? I have a vague recollection of using one from the outer Hebrides in thec1990's.
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Nope. Lord of the Isles was the last ship to have passenger cabins I believe.
 
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Pegpilot

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But hey, some good news for a change. Isle of Islay is tonight approaching the Italian coast on her delivery voyage from Turkey. Just the meerest chink of light at the end of a long dark tunnel !
 
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185143 said:
Have CalMac done a night sailing before?
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Some years ago there was a regular 00.30 sailing from Oban to Castlebay and/or Lochboisdale, and going further back I occupied cabins prior to early morning sailings from both Kennacraig and Stornoway.

In a similar era they did night sailings as extras in connection with MOD exercises based in the Uists, probably just MOD personnel and vehicles on those. .

In the days when Columba (now Hebridean Princess) did the Coll, Tiree and Colonsay routes minbreaks were advertised making use of the cabins on board (which again could also be booked for early morning sailings).
 
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StarCrossing

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Russel said:
Have the cabins been removed, or are they still in place, just unused?
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I'm not sure. The Ships of CalMac website just says "these are no longer available for passengers", but it must be getting on for 30 years since they were used by passengers.
 
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Cloud Strife

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185143 said:
She's doing an additional sailing at 20:00 from Castlebay to Oban, with an ETA of 09:15. Apparently going to be a slow sail as opposed to either dropping anchor somewhere or taking a longer route.
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She's just off Tobermory at the minute, so it looks like they'll probably just get close to Oban and drop the anchor until a berth in Oban becomes available. It seems that CalMac have been remarkably proactive in getting a sailing in from/to Castlebay during a break in the weather, even if it's resulted in a 13 hour sailing. It seems that as Isle of Mull's return to Lochboisdale was cancelled today, then there wasn't a berth for Isle of Lewis in Oban, hence the need for this sailing.

Seems like it's going to be a pretty wild few days for CalMac on the whole, with services being cancelled or rescheduled everywhere.

This has exposed the fact that CalMac could do with an additional refuge port on the West Coast with rail access at times like this, though I can't imagine this sailing tonight is particularly busy.

185143 said:
Have CalMac done a night sailing before?
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Loch Seaforth does an overnight freight sailing Ullapool-Stornoway on top of the regular daytime passenger sailings. It's possible to get on those sailings with a car, but they can't be booked to the best of my knowledge, you can only get on if there's space available after all the freight and priority travellers have been accommodated.

I've often wondered if it wouldn't be better for Castlebay-Oban to be operated as a night sailing. It would allow for an early morning arrival into Oban, making it possible to get into Glasgow before 9am for people who have appointments and so on.

Russel said:
Have the cabins been removed, or are they still in place, just unused?
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I believe they're still physically present under the car deck, but I don't know what condition they're in or if they're even usable. Knowing CalMac, I'd expect that they've either been used for crew accommodation or for storage.
 
185143

185143

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Cloud Strife said:
She's just off Tobermory at the minute, so it looks like they'll probably just get close to Oban and drop the anchor until a berth in Oban becomes available. It seems that CalMac have been remarkably proactive in getting a sailing in from/to Castlebay during a break in the weather, even if it's resulted in a 13 hour sailing. It seems that as Isle of Mull's return to Lochboisdale was cancelled today, then there wasn't a berth for Isle of Lewis in Oban, hence the need for this sailing.

Seems like it's going to be a pretty wild few days for CalMac on the whole, with services being cancelled or rescheduled everywhere.

This has exposed the fact that CalMac could do with an additional refuge port on the West Coast with rail access at times like this, though I can't imagine this sailing tonight is particularly busy.



Loch Seaforth does an overnight freight sailing Ullapool-Stornoway on top of the regular daytime passenger sailings. It's possible to get on those sailings with a car, but they can't be booked to the best of my knowledge, you can only get on if there's space available after all the freight and priority travellers have been accommodated.

I've often wondered if it wouldn't be better for Castlebay-Oban to be operated as a night sailing. It would allow for an early morning arrival into Oban, making it possible to get into Glasgow before 9am for people who have appointments and so on.



I believe they're still physically present under the car deck, but I don't know what condition they're in or if they're even usable. Knowing CalMac, I'd expect that they've either been used for crew accommodation or for storage.
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Ah yes, I forgot about the Stornoway freight sailings.

With regards to IoL, she's done a couple of laps of the Sound of Mull overnight. Heading for Oban now by the looks of things
 
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Cloud Strife

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185143 said:
With regards to IoL, she's done a couple of laps of the Sound of Mull overnight. Heading for Oban now by the looks of things
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I wonder why she didn't just anchor overnight somewhere? Seems strange to be constantly sailing rather than just waiting somewhere sheltered until morning.
 
185143

185143

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Struner said:
in the meantime, Nortlink’s Hjaltland made it to Shetland yesterday, after three days without a ferry.
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Whilst last night's Hrossey sailing finally departed Aberdeen at 05:08. ETA into Kirkwall around 12:30 and Lerwick for 19:00.

Bet it's rammed with Up Helly Aa tourists too.
 
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trei2k

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Pegpilot said:
But hey, some good news for a change. Isle of Islay is tonight approaching the Italian coast on her delivery voyage from Turkey. Just the meerest chink of light at the end of a long dark tunnel !
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It looks like it is currently berthed in the port at Catania:


Screenshot 2026-01-25 at 10.03.44.png

Screenshot above from Marine Traffic shows the Isle of Islay berthed at the Port of Catania in Italy.
 
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