Islanders facing financial ruin over ferry cancellations
In recent years, the route has been plagued by disruption, with Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop holding 'crisis' talks with island business groups earlier this year.
The Lord of the Isles – referred to as LOTI by locals - is a 36-year-old vessel which had only returned to the South Uist route in mid-May after it was taken to service other struggling routes.
Islanders were given the MV Isle of Mull, the second oldest ship in the fleet, as a replacement – but it was restricted to 45 passengers per trip.
In 2023, islanders protested after a month-long cancellation.
Karen MacAulay, owner of the Lochboisdale Hotel, told The Herald repeated disruption is leading to a 'debilitating' pressure on locals.
Since the ferry was cancelled earlier this week, she has lost at least 10 bookings and will lose more if the ferry is not returned by Friday.
'Trying to run a business here is difficult anyway, so living on the edge is natural,' she told The Herald.
'We've gone from 14 rooms booked out of a total of 15 and it went down to four. We're losing thousands upon thousands of pounds every year.
'It seems that if any ferry breaks down in the fleet, they take the LOTI. The ferry has become so unreliable that people won't book onto it.
Read more:
'We haven't got a replacement so for this full week, we're having to phone people. We don't charge for cancellations when it comes to the ferries – if we did, I'd be a millionaire. So we have lost a whole week's worth of work.
'It's mentally debilitating. Year upon year it is just getting worse. Now I am just at the stage where I want to give up.
'We are fighting a losing battle. The crisis is now. We can't afford to pay bills or staff. It's absolutely horrendous. It's taken a mental toll on not just me but everybody in the community.
'We need help but in Lochboisdale they just forget about us.'
The Lord of the Isles vessel is one of four ships beyond running beyond the expected operational life, alongside the Isle of Arran, Mull and the Caledonian Isles, while two other vessels – Isle of Lewis and Clansman – are approaching the end of their expected time.
Last month, CalMac was awarded a £3.9 billion contract to run the west coast services for the next 10 years.
However, Torcuil Crichton, the Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, condemned the decision, warning the firm's 'resilience' was gone.
Read more:
Speaking to The Herald, he said: 'People are tearing their hair out in frustration. It's affecting confidence on the islands, and its affecting commercial and tourism confidence in the islands.
'On one end hotels are facing large scale losses and on the other end B&Bs face cancellations that can add up to a months mortgage payment, or more.
'It's feeding into people's decision whether to live or leave the island. It's really serious.
'Business owners are eating into their own funds – they're going into debt – in the hope that things will get better. It is an awful situation to be in.'
Service information provided to travellers by CalMac said: 'Due to mechanical damage on MV Lord of the Isles that has resulted in water ingress into a void tank, this service has been cancelled.'
The vessel is being repaired in Kennacraig, near the Clyde – almost 150 miles away from Lochboisdale.
Dependin on the outcome of repairs it could back in operation on Thursday or Friday – but islanders said they have been told it could be out of service for another week.
There are no direct replacements, however an island-hopping alternative has been provided on the MV Loch Alainn, sailing from Barra and Eriskay to connect with the MV Isle of Lewis on the Castlebrae service.
CalMac and Transport Scotland have been asked for comment.
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