The Scottish Government has revealed plans to spend £200,000 on diesel generators – for two ferries due to be replaced.
CalMac Ferries have advertised for companies who make “emergency generator sets” to come forward to assist as the ones on MV Loch Dunvegan and MV Loch Fyne are obsolete.
But the spend, which comes ahead of a replacement plan for the ferries, has sparked criticism from Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, who has been campaigning for the government to make faster moves towards purchasing additional ferry capacity.
She said: ““This tender shows that the existing fleet requires attention as well as expansion. Without relief vessels this work will add to the existing capacity issues.
“The Scottish Government need to purchase additional capacity now so that islanders have a reliable service and also to allow essential maintenance to be undertaken.”
Unable to wait
MV Loch Dunvegan, which operates in the Kyles of Bute, and MV Loch Fyne, which sails between Mallaig to Armadale on Skye, are among seven island ferries on a multi-million-pound replacement programme.
Backed by the Scottish Government, the scheme will explore battery-powered options and ensure that the new ferries are low on emissions.
There is no finalised timeline, but it expected the procurement process for the replacement vessels will begin next year.
A notice on the Public Contracts Scotland website reads: “As part of the fleet continuing upgrade and improvement works, CalMac Ferries requires the replacement of two vessels’ emergency generator sets, one per vessel.
“The successful bidder shall be responsible for all design, certification, installation, supply, and delivery of equipment and components, to complete this project.”
A spokesman for CalMac Ferries said: “The existing emergency diesel generators installed on the MV Loch Dunvegan and MV Loch Fyne are no longer in production and the original equipment manufacturer does not produce the required spare parts needed to support the emergency diesel generator future maintenance regimes.
“Therefore provision of new diesel generators will remove this obsolescence issue and provide greater resilience for the CalMac fleet.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said last night: “We will continue to work with CalMac and CMal to actively explore opportunities for chartering alternative additional tonnage for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Network.
“We are committed to bring in new ferries to support our island communities and we look forward to continuing to work with key stakeholders to develop programmes for major vessels and small vessels – investing at least £580 million over the next five years.
“In the meantime, we expect operators to continue with routine maintenance work to ensure all vessels are safe, reliable and approved for continued operation by the MCA.”
Call for help
Last month, the leader of the Western Isles Council issued a plea to Boris Johnson to help fix the islands’ beleaguered ferry service.
Roddie Mackay warned failure to address connectivity issues could have “catastrophic” effects for islanders.
Managing the service is devolved to the Scottish Government, but Mr Mackay said he was contacting Westminster because of Holyrood’s unwillingness to address “systemic service failure”.
The council leader said a lack of action over the past five years has placed great strain on the islands – at a time where connectivity is needed more than ever.
According to Mr Mackay, recent problems with the MV Loch Seaforth have “shone a brighter light on the lack of resilience in the fleet”.