Displaying items by tag: Loch Seaforth
Scottish Newbuild Ferry Returns from Sea Trials Down the Irish Sea
#CalMacNewbuild - Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) newest car-ferry, Loch Seaforth which as previously reported was visited by the Scottish Transport Minister, has today completed her latest series of sea trials including those on the Irish Sea, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The £41.8m newbuild 'flagship' was ordered for the route Ullapool-Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis (Outer Hebrides). She has accommodation for 700 passengers and 143 cars and was built by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FGS).
The 8,478 tonnes newbuild departed Inch Green, Port Glagow on Thursday for sea trails and crew familiarisation. She headed down the Clyde, transited through the North Channel and continued southbound as far as the Codling Bank buoy offshore of Wicklow Head. During these sea trials she made several repeat tracks running up and down the Irish Sea.
According to Ships Monthly, Loch Seaforth was expected to make her debut during this summer, however due to financial problems at FGS, the Flensburg yard in Germany had delayed her high-season arrival.
Loch Seaforth is now not expected to enter service on the Ullapool-Stornoway route until February 2015. When she does enter service, she will initially be only taking 'foot' passengers on twice daily round trips until a new link-span is installed in April at Ullapool. For further details of the Outer Hebrides route and also a link to a sailing timetable, click HERE.
During this interim period, those passengers taking cars and bringing freight vehicles will be re-directed onto the Stornaway-Uig, Isle of Skye route.
The port infrastructure works at Ullapool are due to be completed in early April, when the service to Stornoway starts operating a normal full service.