CALEDONIAN ISLES

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Ferry repairs further delayed

The 'Caledonian Isles', which has been under repair in Greenock since Sep 23, 2024, and was due to re-enter service from repairs at the end of March, now needs additional work on its stern tubes. As a consequence, the ship is not expected to return until mid-April. Also the 'Isle of Lewis' has had its overhaul period extended and will now return to service only on March 23, 2025, rather than Feb 28.The ' Clansman''s overhaul has been slightly delayed, and the ship was due to return on March 9. The catamaran ferry 'Alfred', the operator CalMac has chartered from Pentland Ferries, will now remain on the West Coast routes until the end of May. The lack of vessel availability meant CalMac cannot continue its usual summer service between Campbeltown and Ardrossan this year. The long-awaited 'Glen Sannox', which entered service in January, is currently back in dock for remedial work and is due to return to service in early March.

£22m repair bill for Caledonian Isles

The repair of the 'Caledonian Isles' – which serves the route between Ardrossan and Brodick – has seen a repair bill of more than £22m. That includes more than £7m on work which kept the ferry out of service for the bulk of 2024, and it is not due back until the end of March 2025. Figures released to the Scottish Conservatives by the ferry operator CalMac show more than £98m was spent on the 'Argyle', 'Caledonian Isles', 'Finlaggan', 'Isle of Lewis', 'Isle of Mull', 'Loch Dunvegan', 'Loch Seaforth' and 'Lord of the Isles' in the past decade. Repairs to the 'Isle of Lewis' cost just over £15.2m, with £14.6m spent on the 'Lord of the Isles' and £14.4m on the 'Isle of Mull'. The fleet is currently undergoing a revamp, with six new vessels – including the massively late and over-budget 'Glen Sannox' and 'Glen Rosa' – due to enter service on the Arran route in the coming year to replace the ageing ferries, with a third of the fleet of vessels now operating beyond their life expectancy.

Technical issues caused further delay

The 'Caledonian Isles'’ return was further delayed as engineers had to deal with issues with mounting the starboard engine. An issue has occurred with securing the starboard main engine to the bedplate on the ferrym following extensive repairs in dry dock for over eight months in Birkenhead. The ship remained stationary as of Sep 20.