'Difficult' for Scottish islands as key ferry out of action, Transport Secretary says

SCOTLAND'S islanders are facing a “difficult time", the Transport Secretary has conceded, after ferry operator CalMac confirmed one of its vessels will remain out of service over the peak season.

The state-owner operator said the 31-year-old MV Caledonian Isles will not be able to carry passengers over the summer period as it needs “extensive steelwork”.

Conservative West of Scotland MSP Jamie Greene warned that could leave a 40-year-old ferry, which is “prone to break down”, instead covering the popular Arran service.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop conceded it will be a “difficult time”, but she insisted Scotland’s islands remain “open for business” despite problems with the ferries.

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CalMac’s ageing fleet has faced reliability issues for some time now, with the firm currently waiting for new ferries being built at the Ferguson Marine yard on the Clyde to be handed over.

Those vessels, the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa, are however some six years late and will cost about three times the original £97 million price tag.

With the Caledonian Isles's return to service now delayed, Greene said “frustration is an underestimation of the strength of feeling on our islands”.

He told Hyslop islanders are “staring down the barrel of a summer of more chaos on our ferry network”.

Raising the issue at Holyrood, he asked: “Is it any wonder our islanders are nervous about the forthcoming summer season?

“Maybe I can give the Cabinet Secretary an opportunity to apologise in advance of the chaos her Government is causing.”

Hyslop said she understands that CalMac’s announcement that the Caledonian Isles is not expected back in service until August “will be frustrating for the community”.

But she insisted there is “passenger capacity and public transport options” for both Arran and the nearby island of Cumbrae, as she urged bosses at CalMac to “make best use of available vessels and provide as much capacity as possible throughout this period of disruption”.

She stressed “both islands remain open for business”, and added the ferries being built on the Clyde, together with four being constructed in Turkey, should be delivered in 2026 to bolster CalMac’s services.

Hyslop told MSPs: “This will be a difficult time but let’s get behind our islands, say they are open for business, and do that with a united voice.”