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Scotsman
5 days ago
- Scotsman
CalMac's newest ferry Isle of Islay completes first sea trials in Turkey - but will be almost a year late
Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The first of four CalMac ferries being built in Turkey is expected to carry its first passengers around a year late after the opening stage of sea trials were completed behind schedule in the latest of a series of delays. Isle of Islay, which is earmarked for the main route to the Hebridean island, completed the tests in the Sea of Marmara on May 30, it was announced on Thursday. The vessel should have been ready for sea trials by the start of the month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Isle of Islay on its sea trials off Turkey late May | Cmal Scottish Government ferry-buying firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal) said a second set of sea trials would not take place until 'later this summer' and the vessel is scheduled to be delivered between July and September. It was originally due to have been finished in October last year, but was delayed to December, then March, then June. Cmal chief executive Kevin Hobbs has said the vessel would take two weeks after completion to reach Scotland, then need three to four weeks of port trials before entering service, which suggests it will not be carrying passengers until at least the autumn. The ferry, along with its sister vessel for the Kintyre-Islay route, Loch Indaal, and two others for the Skye-Harris-North Uist routes, have suffered a series of delays because of parts supply problems caused by the Ukraine war and instability in the Middle East. Shipyard workers were also being deployed for recovery work following a huge earthquake. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cmal said the sea trials had been carried out 'successfully' by Cemre Marin Endustri yard in Yalova from May 22 to 30, with Cmal and CalMac staff on board. The body said: 'The first part of the sea trials saw the set up of the propulsion systems, generators, thrusters, stabilisers and associated electrical systems. These were then tested, trialled and measured with [certification authority] Lloyd's Register and the Maritime Coastguard Agency [safety regulator] in attendance. 'Testing evaluated the vessel's performance at full load, including speed, stability, manoeuvrability, anchor deployment/recovery and endurance. The trials also established the effectiveness of the vessel's propulsion plant, automation and navigational systems. 'The second set of sea trials will take place later this summer following the installation of the vessel's battery system and harbour acceptance trials of the hybrid system.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cmal director of vessels Jim Anderson said: 'This is a great step forward in the build programme of the Isle of Islay. The team at Cemre are working hard to prepare the vessel for delivery.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Troubled Scottish ferry scheme faces fresh delays in new blow for SNP
The Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac faces a fresh crisis just weeks after the delivery of a long-delayed vessel that the SNP claimed would put the company back on track. A second ship due to arrive this month will now not be delivered until June, depriving remote islands of vital connections going into the tourist season upon which their economies depend. News of the delay to the 450-passenger Isle of Islay, under construction in Turkey, emerged in a letter to the Scottish Parliament's transport committee from the company that procures CalMac vessels. A third of CalMac's large ships already out of action or operating at reduced capacity owing to annual maintenance or mechanical faults, including problems with one ship that have left it limited to just 45 passengers instead of the usual 900. The latest delay represents a blow for the SNP, which had hoped to put years of upheaval at CalMac behind it after the fleet was expanded with the arrival of the Glen Sannox on the busy Arran route in January, six years late and more than £250m over budget. The scandal around the Glen Sannox and sister vessel the Glen Rosa led the then first minister Nicola Sturgeon to nationalise Ferguson Marine, the local shipbuilder responsible for the delays in 2019, with the SNP subsequently turning to the Cemre shipyard in Turkey for its next big order. An original delivery date of last October for the Isle of Islay had already been put back amid a shortage of steel from Ukraine and reduced staffing after Turkey's 2023 earthquake. Transport Scotland called the latest delay 'disappointing' but said the Turkish yard had been hit by supply chain and labour challenges afflicting similar sites around the world. In its letter, Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) said that the yard south of Istanbul lacks sufficient commissioning engineers to sign off on the vessel's various systems. Painting of the ship's hull has also been delayed by freezing conditions in Turkey, with sea trials not now expected to begin until May, pushing back delivery until June at the earliest. CMAL said: 'We fully appreciate this is not the news the island communities, or indeed anyone, wants to hear.' The 3,200 residents of Islay together with whisky and seafood exports worth tens of millions of pounds a week are reliant on the ferry service, while 45,000 tourists use it to visit the island each year. Duncan Mackison, the CalMac chief executive, said the delay to Isle of Islay was 'disappointing news' and that everyone involved in the build is 'aware of how desperately she's needed in the CalMac fleet'. The delivery of three more vessels – the Loch Indaal, which is slated to serve neighbouring Jura, the Lochmor and the Claymore – will now follow at six-month intervals, rather than the four months previously anticipated, CMAL said. Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish transport secretary, revealed last month that she was considering nationalising Ardrossan Harbour in Ayrshire in order to fund its enlargement. The Glen Sannox is too big to dock at the primary port for Arran and is currently having to sail from Troon, adding 20 minutes to the crossing. South Uist in the Outer Hebrides has meanwhile seen sailings cut to three a week with a journey time that is two hours longer after its usual vessel was diverted elsewhere. The replacement can currently take just 45 passengers due to a fault in its evacuation system. Mr Mackison said problems with several vessels had presented CalMac with 'difficult choices' in terms of service provision. He said passenger volumes would be monitored but that the South Uist service was currently sufficient to meet demand. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
07-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Troubled Scottish ferry scheme faces fresh delays in new blow for SNP
The scandal around the Glen Sannox and sister vessel the Glen Rosa led the then first minister Nicola Sturgeon to nationalise Ferguson Marine, the local shipbuilder responsible for the delays in 2019, with the SNP subsequently turning to the Cemre shipyard in Turkey for its next big order. An original delivery date of last October for the Isle of Islay had already been put back amid a shortage of steel from Ukraine and reduced staffing after Turkey's 2023 earthquake. Transport Scotland called the latest delay 'disappointing' but said the Turkish yard had been hit by supply chain and labour challenges afflicting similar sites around the world. In its letter, Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) said that the yard south of Istanbul lacks sufficient commissioning engineers to sign off on the vessel's various systems. Painting of the ship's hull has also been delayed by freezing conditions in Turkey, with sea trials not now expected to begin until May, pushing back delivery until June at the earliest. CMAL said: 'We fully appreciate this is not the news the island communities, or indeed anyone, wants to hear.' The 3,200 residents of Islay together with whisky and seafood exports worth tens of millions of pounds a week are reliant on the ferry service, while 45,000 tourists use it to visit the island each year. Duncan Mackison, the CalMac chief executive, said the delay to Isle of Islay was 'disappointing news' and that everyone involved in the build is 'aware of how desperately she's needed in the CalMac fleet'. The delivery of three more vessels – the Loch Indaal, which is slated to serve neighbouring Jura, the Lochmor and the Claymore – will now follow at six-month intervals, rather than the four months previously anticipated, CMAL said. Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish transport secretary, revealed last month that she was considering nationalising Ardrossan Harbour in Ayrshire in order to fund its enlargement. The Glen Sannox is too big to dock at the primary port for Arran and is currently having to sail from Troon, adding 20 minutes to the crossing. South Uist in the Outer Hebrides has meanwhile seen sailings cut to three a week with a journey time that is two hours longer after its usual vessel was diverted elsewhere. The replacement can currently take just 45 passengers due to a fault in its evacuation system. Mr Mackison said problems with several vessels had presented CalMac with 'difficult choices' in terms of service provision. He said passenger volumes would be monitored but that the South Uist service was currently sufficient to meet demand.
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Fresh delays to Turkish-built CalMac ferries
Delivery dates for a fleet of CalMac ferries being built by a shipyard in Turkey have been pushed back again due to problems with labour to a letter from the government-owned ferries procurement company CMAL, the first of the fleet will not be finished until the end of June at the earliest when it was originally expected in comes at a trying time for CalMac - the west coast operator is facing a shortage of ships and has been grappling with an "exceptional" series of problems with its Scotland said the latest delay was "disappointing" but had been caused by global issues "outwith the yard's control". Problems with the delivery of the ferries from the Cemre yard in Turkey were confirmed in a letter from CMAL to the net zero, energy and transport committee on letter has not yet been published on the Scottish government website, but was shared on social media by the Islay Community said: "We are facing serious issues with labour, particularly the availability of specialist commissioning sub-contractors. "This continues to set the project and delivery back."It said while the yard builds the vessels and installs machinery, manufacturers need their own specialists to commission the systems to ensure warranties are secured."The lack of commissioning engineers is an issue affecting the global shipbuilding industry, and is causing months-long delays in some cases," it letter said snow and cold weather had also delayed the docking of the Isle of Islay to check underwater parts and complete painting. When will the ships be delivered? The first of the Turkish ferries, MV Isle of Islay, was launched a year ago by Morag McNeill, the chairwoman of CMAL, in a ceremony at the Cemre second ship, MV Loch Indaal, was launched three months later by the wife of CMAL's vessel's director Jim Anderson.A freedom of information request from BBC News revealed that a total of 10 CMAL staff and their guests attended the Loch Indaal launch ceremony, with flight and accommodation costs totalling nearly £10, of Islay - destined for the Islay route - was pushed from October to mid-February and will now be delivered "no earlier than the end of Q2 in 2025".CMAL said it expected the other three vessels to "follow a delivery schedule of six-month intervals from the delivery of MV Isle of Islay". This would mean that Loch Indaal, also for the the Islay route, would not be completed until the end of the year at the earliest, when it was due for latter smaller vessels, MV Lochmor and MV Claymore are due to be deployed on the Little Minch routes between Skye, Harris and North CMAL letter added: "The contract has anticipated intervals of four months, but it is prudent we take our current understanding of the situation into consideration."A Transport Scotland spokesperson said that shipyards across the world have been impacted by external supply chain and internal resourcing challenges. They said: "Cemre are working actively to outfit, test, trial, survey and complete the vessels as early as possible."We continue to make clear our strong expectation to CMAL and CalMac to closely monitor progress on delivery and deployment timescales."Following planned sea trials and commissioning work, a clearer indication on delivery, and that of the three sister vessels, will be provided by CMAL."The quality of the workmanship and construction of the vessel is fully meeting CMAL expectations and we look forward to the vessels joining the fleet and serving island communities for years to come." Re-jigged services CalMac recently laid out how it had re-jigged services to cope with pressure due to repair delays and new issues identified during annual Executive Duncan Mackison said a third of its large vessels were currently out of action or operating with reduced charter of the privately-owned catamaran Alfred - said to cost £1m a month - has now been extended to the end of May to maintain services. The summer-only Ardrossan-Campbeltown service remains suspended for another Caledonian Isles, which operates on the Arran route, has been out of action since last February with a series of issues including rust and twisted ship was due back next month, but this has been pushed back, possibly to late April, after new issues were found with the tubes for its propeller Isle of Lewis, which operates to Barra, needs steelwork replaced during annual maintenance, and will not return to service until Sunday 23 March, almost a month later than Clansman has also been slightly delayed in overhaul, while MV Isle of Mull is restricted to just 45 is due to problems with its emergency evacuation systems, which will not be fixed until mid-May at the new Ferguson-built ferry Glen Sannox joined the fleet earlier this year and its sister ship Glen Rosa is due for delivery in Sannox is serving the Arran route but is currently too big to berth at the Ardrossan harbour, sailing instead from Troon.
