Islanders and tourists are waiting with baited breath to find out if they can get a space aboard the busy Oban to Craignure route ahead of the Easter weekend.
CalMac announced today that due to delays in the annual overhaul programme only one vessel remains on the main route between the mainland and Mull.
Another vessel, the MV Coruisk is due to join the route on March 26.
Bookings on the route will remain restricted, and capacity on the route will be reduced while the MV Isle of Mull is away from her home port.
There is a particular pressure looming as tourists head to Iona for its annual Easter Week celebrations, and the school holidays begin bringing tourists to the islands.
In a statement, the ferry operator said: “Our services are currently being affected by a series of delays to our annual overhaul schedule and its subsequent impact on vessel deployment.
“As we move through this period, we will continue to share the latest information with our customers and communities on our website and social media channels.
“Given the nature of our plans, this will often be on a route-by-route basis.”
Booking restricted
It said the Oban-Craignure route will continue to operate a single-vessel timetable until March 25.
Then MV Coruisk will be deployed to Oban-Craignure from March 26 and will operate alongside MV Loch Frisa.
Bookings will be restricted on the Oban-Craignure services from March 26 – April 2.
The MV Isle of Mull which normally operates on this route is required for service on Lochboisdale-Oban route until approximately April 16.
MV Loch Frisa is scheduled to leave for overhaul on April 16 until May 14, and during this period, the service will be covered by MV Coruisk and MV Isle of Mull.
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