Ferry users on Mull and Iona have warned tourists face being “turned away” as a result of a CalMac timetable shake-up.
This islands’ main boat, the MV Isle of Mull, was redeployed to the Lochboisdale route last week after its crossings to Mallaig and Oban were pulled in early April.
The move has now pitted islands against other islands in the fight to maintain connections to the mainland.
The Mull and Iona Ferry Committee says the latest move will cost 7,000 passenger and 250 car spaces every day – and warn the islands are being “strangled”.
Meanwhile, CalMac has completed berthing trials on the MV Alfred, which has been leased from Pentland Ferries, to increase resilience across the network.
Compensation call for businesses
The Mull and Iona Ferry Committee say the drop in capacity now means “pretty much every sailing” for the rest of the month is now full.
Chairman Joe Reade, who runs Tobermory-based Island Bakery, says the current situation is “absolutely unprecedented” and has called for compensation for businesses hit by the continuing ferry concerns.
Meanwhile, Isle of Mull RFC has warned of expected disruption for visiting teams travelling for its annual sevens rugby tournament later this month.
The team has “strongly advised” clubs and supporters to pre-book ferry tickets as soon as possible to guarantee a space.
In an open letter to Transport Minister Kevin Stewart, Mr Reade said: “Whilst ways have been found to maintain current service levels to every other Hebridean island, Mull and Iona are alone in having our only major vessel withdrawn and not replaced with a similar capacity vessel.
“This is being imposed upon us at the same time as our alternative route to the mainland via the Corran ferry is out of action, requiring a detour of up to 120 miles for journeys to the Central Belt.
“Our ferry system is in utter chaos. The Alfred that we hung so much hope on, sits idle in Ayr. With dry-docking extending into the end of June and no sign of the Hebridean Isles re-entering service we have no confidence that at the end of the month the Isle of Mull will be allowed to return.
“The Coruisk and the Loch Frisa are hopelessly inadequate for the Mull service.
“Meantime, we have no option but to consider rationing ferry space. This is where things have got to now.”
The redeployment of MV Isle of Mull was just one of a series of timetable changes announced by CalMac last week.
Minister for transport Kevin Stewart said: “I fully understand the challenges facing our island communities during this period of disruption to ferry services. This is not just about transport performance in itself. It’s about delivering the confidence needed to sustain island populations.
“Regrettably, there have been ongoing technical issues with vessels resulting in delays to the annual overhaul programme and cancellation of sailings.
“There are communities who have been greatly impacted and we fully recognise the need to improve confidence in services.
“We continue to work with CalMac and CMAL to improve reliability and resilience across our networks, with the charter agreement for the MV Alfred a reflection of this ongoing work. We are also reinvesting any penalty deductions into the operation of the network.
“Operational decisions regarding the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services lie with CalMac as the operator. They engage with individual customers, hauliers, port operators, and Local Resilience Partnerships to gather information and to make informed decisions on how best to deploy available assets in a safe and efficient manner for the benefit of our island and remote communities.
“Whilst sympathetic to the calls to support businesses through compensation, our focus rightly has to be on building resilience into the ferry network.”
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: “We take our responsibility to support island economies and to provide communities with a quality lifeline service very seriously. Our service continues to be affected by delays to the annual overhaul schedule and its subsequent impact on vessel deployment. With no spare vessels, it is a challenging period for our customers, and we apologise for the disruption this is causing.
“We recognise that there will be a lot of pressure on services to and from Mull between 12 and 27 May, and we have been urgently looking into how we can improve this situation. Options include altering timetables, which would be subject to staff availability and the need to operate safely, and the possibility of chartering a third part vessel. Lochaline-Fishnish is also a viable route on and off Mull, although the Corran ferry being out of service is adding pressure to this service.
“We will inform communities once the most suitable solution has been agreed.”
Conversation