CalMac ferry MV Hebrides has again been pulled from service after a fault was detected in its firefighting system.
The vessel was taken out of service one week ago and a temporary timetable put in place to serve Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert.
It was fixed as planned by Friday, but all sailings have been cancelled again today after the problem reoccurred.
An update on the CalMac website says it has also had to cancel sailings on August 3.
The vessel is to be moved to the mainland so specialist teams can repair the firefighting system.
Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: “Very regrettably, MV Hebrides has had a reoccurrence of the issue with her CO2 firefighting system that emerged last week, and we are sorry to announce that sailings today have had to be cancelled as a result of this.
“We are currently working on relocating the vessel to a mainland location to allow the necessary specialist teams to effect repairs.”
‘Very difficult and inconvenient’
Mr MacRae said those hoping to use the service are being advised to travel via Lochboisdale – Mallaig or Stornoway – Ullapool, but warned that space is limited due to it being peak summer period.
He added: “We recognise that this situation is very difficult and inconvenient for our customers, especially so soon after the most recent disruption, and we sincerely apologise to everyone affected and will do our best to find alternative options where these exist.
“While we know this process is time consuming and frustrating for customers, our staff are doing their very best to help and should not be subjected to aggression or violent behaviour.”
❌RED #Uig #Lochmaddy 02Aug Due to a technical issue affecting MV Hebrides, all sailings are cancelled. This is due to an issue with the CO2 vessel’s firefighting system.
— CalMac Service Info (@CalMac_Updates) August 2, 2022
It is not yet known when normal service will resume.
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