The new CalMac Ferries boss has warned ageing vessels could cause disruptions over the summer as its fleet is reshuffled to cover for a ferry undergoing repairs.
Caledonian MacBrayne’s interim managing director, Robbie Drummond, admitted that there could be “issues” on some routes as staff “proactively” managed the boats still in service over the busiest season of the year.
However, locals fear that “erratic” services could hurt tourism and the local economy.
Mr Drummond said: “We ask a lot of our fleet, and indeed our people, at the busiest time of year on our network.
“I am also very conscious of the workload our boats will be undertaking and the strain that puts them under, particularly the older vessels in the fleet, eight of which are more than 30 years old now.
“We will of course proactively manage as best we can with the current fleet, but I fear that it will, at times, cause issues on some of our routes.”
Western Isles councillor Iain MacNeil, chairman of the Uist Economic Taskforce Working Group, said he was concerned about the age of the vessels currently operating in the west coast of Scotland.
And he insisted that more money should be invested in the upgrade of the boats.
He said: “CalMac knew what they were taking on when the bid for the tender. The ferries have not grown old overnight, we have known about their age for years.
“Obviously it is time for a major investment in the fleet, the shelf life of a ferry is about 25 years and there are a number of vessels (aged) over 30.”
A spokesman for the Sleat Transport Forum, which has campaigned for the improvement of services transporting passengers to Skye since 2015, said the group was “disappointed” with CalMac’s performance so far this year.
He said: “There has been significant disruption on the Mallaig-Armadale route, with a total of actual and planned cancellations totalling 17 in the first five days of the summer season.
“This erratic service is affecting local businesses in Sleat, and across Skye, as well as Mallaig and west Lochaber.
“There is real concern that CalMac Ferries will have disruption across the network, caused by a shortage of vessels, an ageing fleet and no spare capacity in the event of technical failures.”
CalMac recently reversed a decision to move the MV Hebrides south from the Uig-Tarbert-Lochmaddy triangle to cover another route following complaints from councillors and local residents.
The replacement vessel was not big enough to carry the number of vehicles using the service and cars were being left on the dock, causing frustration among passengers.
Local politicians had accused the company of deprioritising the route.
Cllr MacNeil said: “Obviously we are delighted that the best seagoing vessel in the CalMac Fleet is back and common sense seems to have prevailed.
“We will be conducting a post-mortem to make sure that this sort of thing does not recur in the future.”
CalMac’s Robbie Drummond said: “We know that locals and visitors alike have come to expect the more regular service and greater capacity provided by two boats, so we understand people’s frustration when one of those vessels needs to be deployed elsewhere.”
Highland Councillor for Skye John Finlayson said: “I would certainly hope that CalMac has built into its planning that there will be appropriately sized vessels in the right routes.”