Stop the failed vanity projects. CMAL must go for catamarans

The Herald Scotland

21-04-2025

Given the success of the catamaran Alfred, which normally plies the Pentland Firth, the worst stretch of sea around the British Isles, and which has proved a great success when chartered by CMAL, perhaps it is time for CMAL to reconsider its entrenched prejudice against this well-proven form of vessel.
The currently favoured vessel for the Mallaig/Lochboisdale route is the MV Lord of the Isles, locally known as "The Olympic Flame" because she never goes out. This is an unfair exaggeration as she makes many sailings but cancellations are numerous, mainly due to the constraints of manoeuvring in the cramped Mallaig harbour and lack of depth at low tides in Lochboisdale. Consider the advantages of a catamaran. Very much greater manoeuvring ability. Much better stability – CMAL's favoured monohulls require hundreds of tons of corrosive seawater ballast just to remain upright. Catamarans require less draft which would negate the need for a very expensive harbour relocation in Lochboisdale. Given their shorter length, pier extent ionisation is not required.
Initial cost is around one-third of a monohull, crew numbers around half. Fuel consumption of around 30 to 40% representing a considerable saving or, with greater fuel consumption, a swifter passage. Given that information, all now proven, try making the case for a monohull on this route or, for that matter, any other. It is time to stop CMAL and Transport Scotland squandering vast sums of our money on failed vanity projects.
Finally, please be careful to differentiate between CalMac and CMAL/Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government. The latter three are solely responsible for the disgraceful state of Scotland's islands ferry network. By comparison, CalMac is doing an amazing job under extremely difficult circumstances, not of their making.
J Patrick Maclean, Oban.
Read more letters
Force not up to the task
Islanders can breathe a huge sigh of relief and take some comfort in the fact that the Ardrossan Harbour Task Force has once again convened a meeting, this time on Arran on Thursday April 17.
Concerns about cancer diagnosis being treated, businesses closing as the tourist industry is decimated, and locals missing weddings, births and funerals – not to mention vital staff and supplies not reaching the island – can all be put to bed now that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and the leader of North Ayrshire Council have visited the island to host some more much-needed... talks.
Of course, it was imperative that the Transport Secretary heard the concerns from islanders themselves – again – especially considering that it has been such a closely guarded secret which has not been mentioned by shy locals over the last decade, and it has certainly not been highlighted by any lobbying group or reported in any newspapers.
The meeting has been described by some of the stakeholders as being 'productive', possibly as they were presented with the invaluable opportunity to hear nothing new about potential harbour purchase plans, or any indication of when it could take place. Neither was there any information provided to the public about the on/off, continually changing, much delayed and very elusive business plan. Although in fairness, the word productive may refer to locals not protesting in the streets, or it may be used in medical terms, such as when a productive cough raises mucus from the respiratory tract.
The Ardrossan Harbour Task Force was created in 2016 to 'improve the operational effectiveness of Ardrossan Harbour in supporting the lifeline ferry services and the new vessel on the Arran route'.
Now, a mere nine years later, the operational effectiveness of Ardrossan Harbour has massively benefited from the closure of the Irish berth in 2024, and the use of the normal Arran berth being completely halted since January this year, largely thanks to the commissioned ship – which was purposely built for the route – not being able to fit the harbour. The lifeline ferry service has also been bolstered with less capacity on the ferries, fewer sailings, and broken transport connections.
In a move described by some as four-dimensional chess, the task force has successfully and deftly eliminated most issues involving Ardrossan Harbour by simply not using it at all, instead relocating all services to Troon Harbour.
With the emphasis of the task force now laser-focused on purchasing the privately-owned Ardrossan Harbour, everyone can put aside any petty thoughts of the two, tree, four or more, years it will take to upgrade the harbour once it it is nationalised – undoubtedly replicating the success of Ferguson Marine.
Damian Matthews, Brodick.
Time for exams culture change
I was not surprised to read your article indicating that the new Scottish agency, Qualifications Scotland, as the successor to the SQA, is already under pressure from the opposition in Holyrood to have perhaps the equivalent of an "upper house" or similar to regulate some of its work ("Opposition parties move to break up exams body", The Herald, April 18).
The SQA website states that what it does is "awarding and accreditation; developing and managing qualifications; setting, maintaining and monitoring standards; working with commercial and government clients".
It says nothing about addressing the consequences of the stress its regime can cause to both teachers and pupils, to say nothing of the long-term effect of deciding who gets to be on the podium at the end of the race for life chances. The culture which comes across of the SQA is one of Victorian grimness.
I feel that unless the new Qualifications Scotland body views itself as child-centred and abandons the rather brutal standards-centred culture it will become as disliked and distrusted as the SQA seemingly became.
As many people find out in life, success has many fathers; failure is an orphan.
Bill Brown, Milngavie.
Is the current exams set-up too stressful? (Image: Shutterstock / arrowsmith2)
A welcome return
My mornings are now so much happier because Steven Camley is back. I hadn't realised how much I missed his clever cartoons until that they reappeared.
Thank you, Steven.
Sheena Cook, Lochgelly.