The Scottish Government-controlled Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) has been given a year-long extension to its contract to run lifeline ferry services along the entire west coast, stretching from the Outer Hebrides to the Firth of Clyde.

The contract with CalMac, reports The Herald, was made following delays in deciding on the long-term future of the operator, which has the largest domestic route network and ferry fleet in the UK and provides around 136,000 sailings a year.

The Edinburgh government has confirmed that it will be unable to conclude its investigations into whether CalMac should be awarded the contract "in propriety" in time for the conclusion of the current deal, which is to expire later this year on 30 September.

Fiona Hyslop, the Transport Minister, is now planning to allow CalMac to have a year-long extension (of up to 12 months) to enable the ferry firm, that runs 29 routes with 33 vessels, to conclude its work.

The company based on the Clyde in Gourock (see ex. Aran Islands ferry), has previously admitted there is a material uncertainty over its future as a going concern. This is because of outstanding questions that remain over whether the company will continue to run lifeline island services which range from 5 minute crossings to 7 hours.

The preferred option of the Scottish Government, has been to provide an uncontested direct public contract to CalMac, the ferry operator it owns, to run an ageing ferry fleet without going through a competitive tendering process. Such an option has been opposed by its community board, and no decision has yet been taken by ministers at the Holywood administration.

More here on the ferry contract.

One of the largest ferries in the CalMac fleet, Finlaggan, of 5,626 gross tons, which usually serves Islay in the Inner Hebrides, has been delayed in annual maintenance, reports The National.

Afloat.ie adds that the almost 90-metre ferry is currently berthed nearby in Birkenhead Docks having been in a dry-dock at the Cammell Laird shipyard also on Merseyside.

The 550 passenger/88 car ferry is now due to return to service on Saturday, 18 May, which means that the vessel built in 2011 is expected to be back in operation in time for the Islay Festival (24 May-1 June) as Afloat previously reported over concerns about capacity.

In April, CalMac had redeployed ferries to account for the withdrawal of Finlaggan on the routes connecting Port Askaig/Port Ellen and the mainland at Kennacraig on the Mull of Kintyre. This was to facilitate the ferry undergoing maintenance and the implementation of a revised timetable that will remain in place until Saturday, the company said.

Commenting on the disruption, CalMac’s interim CEO Duncan Mackison, said: “We are frustrated that MV Finlaggan’s return has been delayed, and our fleet management team has had a regular presence at the shipyard recently.

More from the newspaper here.

Scottish government owned Caledonian McBrayne (CalMac) has condemned one of the country’s key port operators which it said has left a major ferry port harbour in an "unacceptable" condition. The situation was putting safe operations at risk despite CalMac paying out nearly £15.5m in fees over the last decade.

CalMac, the UK’s largest domestic ferry operator, has made a rare broadside over the conditions it has to operate in Ardrossan Harbour. The ferry company having delivered a damning indictment on the state of the port in North Ayrshire. The 55 minute service provides a crucial lifeline to and from the Isle of Arran and in a response to a campaign to nationalise Clydeport to bring the ports and harbours on the River Clyde into public ownership.

The ferry company’s interim chief executive, Duncan Mackison, has criticised the state of Ardrossan Harbour which is owned by Peel Ports Group, the UK’s second largest port company. Commenting on the facilities he said: "have not been maintained to an acceptable standard" and he added that there has been a lack of investment.”

In addition, he said in a message seen by The Herald, that the condition of Ardrossan Harbour "is all the more unacceptable" because of the £15.48m that CalMac has paid to Peel Ports for the use of its berths among them the ‘Irish’ berth as Afloat previously reported.

More here on the dispute between the ferry operator and port group.

Caledonian MacBrayne's (CalMac) chief executive is stepping down as the Scottish state-owned ferry operator faces ongoing challenges with its aging fleet.

The ferry company announced on Wednesday (3 April) that Robbie Drummond is stepping down with immediate effect from the operator, which has the largest domestic fleet in UK waters.

The development comes just over a week after the Ferguson Marine shipyard of Port Glasgow, which is also state-owned, saw its chief executive, David Tydeman sacked by its board.

This departure comes after a review by the board of CalMac, the operator to west coast islands and across lochs, which is also wholly owned by the Scottish Government with parliament at Holywood, in the capital of Edinburgh.

In recent years, the aging nature of CalMac’s ferry fleet has led to major delays and widespread disruption across its extensive route network along the west coast.

Among the main issues is the ongoing ferry fiasco, costing the Scottish public a 'staggering' £1.3 million a week under ScotGov control.

The shipyard problems have been compounded by ongoing delays to two hybrid duel fuel powered ferries being built at the yard at Port Glasgow.

The twin ferries, Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, will ultimately serve routes in the west of Scotland with CalMac, are some six years late as the lead ship was due to enter service in 2018.

The cost of both new builds is around three times that of the original price of £97 million.

More from the Herald Scotland on this latest ferry scene and the shipyard saga. 

The first newbuild ferry of two to serve Scottish west coast islands, Islay and Jura has been successfully launched at a shipyard in Turkey.

At the Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Yalova, the MV Isle of Islay was launched on Saturday. The newbuild is one of four ferries being built, and is due to go into service with Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) in October.

On the Clyde, more twin ferries, MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, are being built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard at Port Glasgow, however, they have been beset by severe delays, as the twins were due to enter service in 2018. Both are to serve the Arran route, linking Ardrossan and Brodick.

According to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), the MV Isle of Islay will have capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars, or 14 commercial vehicles. The newbuild which will operate the Kennacraig-Port Askaig/Port Ellen routes, will provide a combined 40% increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes, bolstering the overall resilience of the wider fleet.

The MV Isle of Islay is now in the water, however, further work remains to complete the newbuild, before sea trials are to take place and the new ferry is handed over to CMAL.

The HeraldScotland has more on the shipyard's launch. 

The organisers of one of the world's most famous whisky festivals in Scotland say it has been put at risk after being left "high and dry" due to the ongoing ferry fiasco at CalMac.

Visitors to Islay, off the south-west coast, is where the annually held Fèis Ìle, or Islay Festival, will encounter a lack of ferry capacity, reports the HeraldScotland. As the festival organisers say, they face "significant difficulties" as CalMac has failed to provide the expected increase in crossing capacity to allow whisky lovers and festival-goers to attend the event in May, which is spread across nine days.

CalMac operates two routes to Islay from Kennacraig (photo above) on the Mull of Kintyre, which involve crossings from the mainland port to Port Askaig taking 2 hours and 5 minutes and Port Ellen, with a slightly longer passage time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Regularly, the festival generates upwards of £10 million for the local economy, and organizers say it is in "serious jeopardy" if a solution cannot be found.

Visitors from around the world, amounting to up to 20,000, are usually expected to Islay and neighboring Jura for what is said to be one of the largest such gatherings.

Festival visitors can look forward to a combination of music and malt, which will showcase the islands' distilleries, community, and culture. Among the features of the week-long plus festival will range from tastings, tours, beaches, walks, ceilidhs, sunsets, and sunrises.

The origins of the festival, which continues to grow in size and stature, have taken place every May since 1984, a year before the Hebridean Isles were built, adds Afloat.ie. It is one of two Islay ferries currently running the routes, with Finlaggan dating to 2011. However, twin newbuilds built in Turkey will see the first ferry, the Isle of Islay, launched next week, 16 March.

They are to replace the forty-year-old Hebridean Isles and complement the Finlaggan, with the first ferry due for delivery in October and the second ship in early 2025. They will give a boost of 40% in capacity, but in the meantime, such availability will not be of service to islanders and visitors alike for the festival.

Much more from the newspaper on the challenges facing the festival and the impacts on tourism to the island and to the economy of the wider region.

CalMac which is a Scottish Government-owned ferry operator, has been landed with a £5m repair bill as one of its oldest ferries built in 1993 has been side-lined until at least July due to rust.

The west coast ferry operator, which has the biggest domestic fleet in the UK, has warned of disruption across the Clyde and Hebrides network as a result of steelwork issues with the 31-year-old MV Caledonian Isles. The 5,531 gross tonnes ferry which serves on Firth of Clyde route of Ardrossan-Arran is one of the busiest of the network and is due to be replaced, in the meantime the route is operated by the even older Isle of Arran built in 1984.

The route's main ferry Caledonian Isles has been out of action since going for an overhaul at the start of January as Afloat previously identified to the Clyde dry-dock of Dales Marine Services in Greenock. (The ferry was subsequently tracked this month to Merseyside, at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead where the works continue). 

In response to the situation, The Isle of Arran Ferry Committee said it was pushing for contingency plans over the latest problem to hit CalMac's ageing fleet.

Commenting on the development concerning MV Caledonian Isles, The Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency said it "is deeply regrettable" and expected CalMac to come forward with details of the changes to timetables as soon as possible, to allow ferry users to plan ahead and keep disruption to a minimum.

The ferry was sidelined for over three months with further steelwork and engine difficulties this time last year with repair work then estimated at £1m. It had been due to leave the yard after an overhaul before issues with the engines, steelwork and bearings were noted by engineers.

For more on the steelworks, TheHeraldScotland has the story.

Scotland's west coast ferry operator, CalMac is making moves to pull out of a key port in North Ayrshire, Ardrossan (serving Arran) in the wake of recent safety issues and adverse weather.

CalMac owned by the Scottish Government, has moved to begin trial berthing the MV Isle of Arran, which is the only ferry carrying passengers linking Brodick, Isle of Arran and Troon in South Ayrshire.

If successful, CalMac cite the ferry will begin operating the service on a "temporary" basis from Troon but there is concern that it is the first step to a permanent move for the services. The port of Troon operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), is where already the £1 million-a-month Scottish Government-chartered emergency ferry MV Alfred, a catamaran craft is based there on services.

There is no exact timetable outlined for how long the ferry might be based in Troon instead of Ardrossan which Afloat adds is operated by rival port operator, Peel Ports Group.

CalMac added that due to adverse weather forecast in the coming days and with strong easterly winds, this may led to the 1984 built not been able to berth at Ardrossan. The operator said it was "committed to maintaining the service throughout adverse weather".

Users on the Firth of Clyde crossing say any long period based in Troon would mean travelling times would increase from 55 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. In addition they have raised concerns over a potential reduction in sailings.

HeraldScotland has more on the developing ferryport scene.

Ferry operator, Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) owned by the Scottish Government, could face an increase in fares for visitors to west coast islands as part of a major government review amid rising demand and costs.

According to newly-published proposals, suggest that a reduction in ferry fares by ministers made almost a decade ago to bring them into line with road travel costs, could be reversed for all users with the exception of island residents.

The development came as yet another delay to the hugely-late newbuild hybrid-powered ferry Glen Sannox, was signalled by Clyde based shipbuilder Ferguson Marine, which said its completion could be postponed beyond the latest delivery date set for May.

The Port Glasgow based shipyard cited the delay of the 102m ferry, originally to enter service in 2018 on the Isle of Arran route, was because of problems getting parts for the ferry’s novel dual-fuel system.

In response to the shipyard’s revised delivery date, the Scottish Government has described the announcement as “concerning and extremely disappointing”.

A review of west coast island ferry fares, is a plan that Ministers intend to examine, as part of a new strategy for links to the islands. This follows reduced ticket prices that led to a surge in demand and consequently resulted in overwhelming some routes at already busy peak times.

For more, The Scotsman reports, including reduced fares also applied since 2018 to Scottish east coast ferry firm, NorthLink (operated by Serco) serving Orkney and the Shetland Isles.

Twin newbuild ferries that are delayed and overbudget at a shipyard in Scotland and which are to serve Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) could be worth a “fraction” of the £360m taxpayers have spent on them when they are finally completed, MSPs have been told.

Speaking on the newbuilds to operate on the west coast, Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton had raised concerns as Wellbeing Economy Secretary, Neil Gray updated the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood on the works carried out on the dual-fuelled powered newbuilds Glen Sannox (as above) and Glen Rosa.

The twins, each 102m in length are being built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow for CalMac so to bolster its ageing fleet. The new ferries (with a reduced passenger capacity of under 1,000: see story) are set to go into operation on the Ardrossan-Brodick (Isle of Arran) route on the Forth of Clyde. 

Leadship Glen Sannox and newbuild no 105, Glen Rosa which in recent months was given a name, have been beset by issues which have seen multi-year delays and cost overruns. Combined this has put the cost of construction to £360m, compared with the initial £97m price tag when the contract was signed for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine diesel fuelled ferries.

STV News has more on the shipyard saga, as the ferries which were to have entered service in 2018.