Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has been hit by further technical issues as its flagship vessel the Loch Seaforth faced delays and cancellations as a new winter timetable comes into force.
The breakdown of the £42 million German ship, which was introduced in February 2015 and services the Ullapool to Stornoway route, follows a series of problems which have hit the route.
Passengers, tourists and fleets of articulated lorries carrying vital supplies have been left in the dark as last minute cancellations affected their holiday plans or deliveries to island businesses.
The vessel was involved in a collision with the pier which resulted in urgent repairs to the vessel.
Other vessels in Cal Mac’s fleet have also faced delays and cancellations in other parts of the country and the introduction of the new winter timetable.
Passengers were alerted to a cancellation of the service on Cal Mac’s 3pm service on Sunday via its Twitter feed. The ship finally left the port eight hours later.
It stated: “Due to a technical issue the MV Loch Seaforth the 1500 service from Stornoway has been cancelled.”
Passengers took to social networking sites to make their views known.
@Mac said: “More issues with mv loch seaforth and knock on effects with mv Hebrides. What will it take to find a solution
Delayed passengers in Ullapool said no further information was available for them as the delay stretched into the middle of the night.
Another passenger said: “We had one text with no further info. It’s utterly shocking?”
Business owners were also affected by ferry disruption which has prompted Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to arrange a meeting with Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) today (Tuesday) to discuss the previous Loch Seaforth engine problem.
Uisdean Robertson, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the authority said the impact of Brexit may have implications for the fleet ferry parts would need to be sent from Europe.
He said: “The preference was for two ferries rather than one big ferry.
“The reality of the Loch Seaforth is that it can only be used on that route. It can’t be shifted to another.
“When the Clansman broke down, the parts were sourced from Europe. There may be issues in terms of Brexit in sourcing parts.”
Many islanders on board the ship were travelling to the Royal National Mòd in Dunoon.
The incident caused knock-on delays to the ferry service for Harris and Uist on Monday as the MV Hebrides’ crew worked additional hours after waiting in Tarbert for diverted Stornoway traffic.
This is the third serious disruption in as many months on the route.
Cal Mac’s advisory board has called for more investment in the fleet to provide additional ships as a contingency measure.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: “At around 3pm on Sunday, HM Coastguard were informed that Loch Seaforth ferry had suffered physical damage to its bow door after coming into heavy contact with a quay fender in Stornoway Harbour.
“The 252 passengers and crew were safe and well at the time of the incident and all passengers disembarked when the vessel finally came alongside at Stornoway.
“The MCA’s Survey and Inspection, Counter Pollution and Enforcement and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) were all notified of this incident.
“The vessel was initially and voluntarily withdrawn from service by the operator pending full damage assessment, further safety checks and agreement for the vessel to resume its scheduled sailing by MCA Survey and Inspections.
“Checks complete, the vessel was clear to return to Ullapool on Sunday evening and since then it has returned to Stornoway overnight and returned to Ullapool on Monday morning. Scheduled services are expected to continue.”
Cal Mac said the vessel was now running a “normal service” via the stern of the ship and had faced two separate issues with an initial incident caused by an engine problem and Sunday night’s issue with the bow doors.
A spokesman said: “An incident at Stornoway harbour on Sunday resulted in a closure issue with the MV Loch Seaforth’s bow doors. The cause of this is still under investigation.
“After successfully closing the doors and obtaining necessary permissions to sail from insurers and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) the vessel departed at 2300.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience this delay may have caused passengers”
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