‘Welcome news’ as extra ferry to assist during Uig Harbour upgrade

By Louise Glen

December 16 2022, 12:57 pm

Uig Pier. Image: Transport Scotland.

An additional ferry has been chartered to assist island communities during the planned works to Uig Harbour on Skye.

The MV Arrow will join the CalMac fleet as part of a revised programme of upgrade works.

The ferry was purchased with additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The works, that were initially scheduled for 24 weeks, are now likely to last 14 over two periods.

The first closure will be from January 16 to March 13, followed by a second from October 30-December 11.

Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “I’m pleased we have been able provide funding to charter the MV Arrow to assist during these vital works to upgrade Uig Harbour.

Project is vital

“The Scottish Government has already shown its commitment to supporting affected communities by funding the revised programme of works, and the addition of the MV Arrow is another measure to help reduce disruption to ferry travellers, freight customers and the delivery of supplies.

Jenny Gilruth MSP, minister for transport. Image: Chris Sumner.

“We appreciate that any level of disruption is not welcome, but this project is vital to improving ferry services and the harbour experience in Uig in the longer term.”

CalMac are currently working on timetables for the MV Arrow and will confirm the details in due course.

Chief executive Robbie Drummond said: “We have been working closely with Transport Scotland to investigate the feasibility of leasing extra vessels and the addition of the MV Arrow is extremely welcome news.

“The Uig closure will be a challenging period for our customers and the chartering of MV Arrow will help provide much-needed resilience during the closure.”

Alasdair Allan, SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, has welcomed today’s confirmation that MV Arrow has been chartered for use in the islands.

£6million extra funding

He said: “This news is very welcome indeed – I hope MV Arrow will be of great help in dealing with the capacity pressures which will be prevalent throughout the islands’ network between January and March due to the changes to normal service while Uig pier’s upgrade works are under way.

“MV Arrow’s addition to the ferry fleet at this crucial time will provide much-needed additional capacity and resilience during Uig pier’s first closure period.”