CalMac under fire from 'sack board' island protest group over ferries

The Herald Scotland

30-04-2025

South Uist has been particularly badly hit by a shortage of vessels on lifeline ferry routes and has been served by 37-year-old veteran MV Isle of Mull which is restricted to just 45 passengers since the start of the year ,while its regular ship - MV Lord of the Isles covers elsewhere.
But despite a "crisis summit" called by an island business group attended by transport secretary Fiona Hyslop over two weeks ago and in advance of the May Day bank holiday, they say there has been no movement in dealing with an immediate lack of service.
For several years South Uist has regularly been the victim of cuts due to ferry breakdowns and delays in annual maintenance which climaxed in losing their service completely for nearly the whole of June, 2023.
It drew the short straw because it is felt according to the way CalMac runs its lifeline service disruption management, that the least number of people will be affected if their allocated vessel, MV Lord of the Isles, is withdrawn to help out elsewhere.
And John Daniel Peteranna of the South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) which started the protest said: "We are still penalised for living in Uist. "
Video: Flashback to the South Uist ferry protest of the summer of 2023.
CalMac said that they are investigating options for improvement to the service.
Concerns had previously emerged that there has been a failure to conduct island communities' impact assessments or consult over the method used to decide how services are axed due to breakdowns of Scotland's ageing ferry fleet in breach of the Scottish Government's ground-breaking Islands (Scotland) Act made law in 2018.
The catalyst for action over the management system came when an estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converged on Lochboisdale – the port which links South Uist to the mainland – two years ago to protest about the cancellations.
Then CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond then made a series of what some called "PR visits" to the island where apologies were made and actions explained.
One South Uist public meeting attended by some 250 "unanimously" lodged a vote of no confidence in the ferry company angry at the island's treatment.
Islanders were told by the former transport minister Kevin Stewart, three days before he resigned his position the same summer that he had ordered a review into the 'matrix' methodology used to deal with ferry shortages to ensure that it takes into account "the actual economic impacts to the islands".
It was expected to ensure that South Uist did not become the default option for cuts.
But the South Uist Business Impact Group which started the protest and called for the summit do not believe that it has made any difference. The MV Lord of the Isles continues to be used as a relief vessel for other islands while the 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles has been out of service since the start of January last year, the MV Hebridean Isles had to be retired and other vessels have had problems identified during winter overhauls.
While concerns continue about a lack of spare capacity for emergencies, it was suggested that South Uist swap boats so that it gets the regular Colonsay ship MV Clansman for just one day to help make up for the losses.
But the group say that so far there has been no response from CalMac.
Mr Peteranna of the impact group, who previously called for boardroom heads to roll at CalMac over the way services were being handled said: "The visits back then have changed nothing.
"Now, the minister has told CalMac that they need to find a solution. We have been told yes, yes and yes. But again nothing has changed.
"We are not asking for anything that isn't reasonable."
He said that MV Clansman, which can carry 638 passengers and 90 cars, has at least a once-a-day services to Colonsay, which, according to the 202 Scottish Island Survey has a population of 104. The resident population of South Uist is over ten times that at1442.
The current timetable for services to Colonsay shows there is a daily return service to and from the mainland on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and two return journeys service on a Wednesday and Saturday.
"They are ignoring us," said Mr Peteranna. "We don't see that there is any disruption from doing this. But they don't appear to be listening to options while May and June are the busiest months.
MV Finlaggan (Image: CalMac) Meanwhile, the group say that while MV Finlaggan has been delayed in dry dock, it means that the reduced capacity service provided by MV Isle of Mull will be extended well into the peak holiday season at a vital time for island businesses.
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They have now written to CalMac asking again that they now put in place an increase in capacity between Lochboisdale and Oban, pointing out that it "should not be one island that suffers all the time".
Ms Hyslop had said there was a longer-term solution with funding earmarked for another new large ferry to serve the Western Isles.
She said money was allocated in the 2025/26 budget to replace the ageing MV Lord of the Isles, which serves South Uist, within "about three years".
MV Lord of the Isles, which normally sails from Lochboisdale on South Uist to the mainland port of Mallaig, is currently serving other routes and will not return until mid-May.
MV Isle of Mull is instead sailing from the island to Oban, but a fault with its emergency evacuation chutes means it is only permitted to carry 45 passengers instead of the 900 it can normally accommodate.
The Scottish government also announced a £4.4m "resilience fund" targeted" at island communities worst affected by disruption but that South Uist would "definitely benefit".
During the 1980s and 90s CalMac would typically purchase a new ship every few years but since 2007 the procurement role has been taken on by a separate state-owned company, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, which owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure.
MV Glen Sannox (Image: Jane Barlow) Problems over the construction of two new gas-powered ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ordered in 2015 contributed to a slowdown in ferry replacement - and much of CalMac's large ship fleet is now beyond its expected operational life.
A CalMac spokeswoman said: 'At the summit on South Uist, we made a commitment to review what we could to improve the current service, and we stand by that. We've been investigating options, some of which were made at the summit, in the context of wider network deployments and dependent on vessel moves,as major units departed and entered their overhaul period.
'This means considering things like vessel and port interface and displaced traffic on other routes, and it takes time to work through possible options. We expect to provide a formal update on what's possible later this week.
'The delay to the delivery of MV Isle of Islay, whilst due to events outside of anyone's control, is having a real knock-on effect on our vessel deployment. Were she in service, one of MV Isle of Arran or MV Lord of the Isles – which usually serves South Uist – would be free to deploy elsewhere.
'We made a commitment to bring SUBIG into the Western Isles Ferry Group and they have already attended the most recent meeting.
'In the meantime, the South Uist community will be updated on our progress, and we hope to offer ways in which we can ease the constraints on their service as soon as possible.'
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: 'We understand the impact that delays and disruption have regrettably had on our island communities and this government fully recognises the key role ferry services play in supporting the economic, social and cultural development of island communities.
'Alongside CalMac, we continue to monitor the situation closely, particularly in terms of the impact on those island communities most affected and will continue to constructively engage with islanders to ensure we deliver a sustainable ferry service that is fit for the future.
'Ministers and officials continue to support and impress upon CalMac to ensure all available options are being explored to return the vessels to service and support our island economies.
Scotland's island communities face distinct challenges, not least in terms of their economic and social resilience, which is why this Government has identified an initial £4.4 million to establish a resilience fund to support island businesses, with a view to targeting areas and sectors of most acute need.'