Calmac in crisis

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

https://www.westcoasttoday.co.uk/news/calmac-admit-current-ferry-situation-the-most-pressing-weve-faced Behind a paywall, I think, but here are some of the highlights:

CalMac admit current ferry situation "the most pressing we’ve faced"
CalMac has contacted islanders to update them on the current ferry shortage, admitting that today’s breakdowns leave them in one of their toughest ever spots. On the morning of March 26, further breakdowns occurred on the Arran route, leaving it without a major vessel. This left CalMac short of seven vessels, with four in refit and three breakdowns to the MV Glen Sannox, MV Isle of Arran and MV Caledonian Isles. The situation is so dire that CalMac admitted in an email to island communities: "The scenario we are in right now may be the most pressing we’ve faced."

As well as Arran having no major vessel, Mull is down to a single vessel service from MV Coruisk, Islay also has one vessel, MV Finlaggan, Barra and South Uist have a reduced service as they are sharing the MV Isle of Mull and Coll, Tiree & Colonsay have a reduced service due to a smaller vessel than normal providing their service, the MV Lord of the Isles instead of MV Clansman.

The newly arrived MV Isle of Islay is hoped to be drafted into the fleet soon to help alleviate some of the pressure on the ferry provider, but CalMac also admitted in its email that issues have been identified in its sea trials, and will more than likely not make it into service for the start of the Summer Timetable tomorrow. ...

Over the next year, four more major vessels are due to join the ageing fleet, MV Glen Rosa (delayed eight years, expected late 2026), MV Loch Indaal (one year delay, expected this summer), MV Lochmor (one year delay, expected this winter) and MV Claymore (one year delay, expected early 2027).

Can't say I'm surprised to read this. Just back from a visit to my Mum on Arran. Every single conversation I had with Arran residents included a lengthy rant about the ferry service. I was very lucky this time and both the ferries I was booked on actually ran, albeit very late on one occasion, but I don't count on that now, and neither does anyone else. Members of my family have lived on or regularly visited the island going back many generations and until very recent years the ferry service was excellent and nobody worried about it. Now people are moving away purely because it's so uncertain whether you can get to the mainland or back again when you need to. People routinely arrange accommodation on the mainland around having hospital and dental appointments or going on holiday. People used to commute to or from the mainland for their work and that's become unworkable too.

How on earth has the Scottish government mismanaged this so badly? I'll be interested to see just how low the SNP vote falls on Arran and the other ferry-dependent islands come the elections.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw8lp6z6vvo

It’s shameful isn’t it. I was on Arran over the weekend and it was a miracle that my crossings ran and were on time but I chatted to several people who were stuck on the island. I love the place but I’d have to really consider if having a couple of nights away there is a good idea until things are more stable.

The Calmac crews are great though, shame about the Scottish Government.

Sorry - nothing constructive, just brought back fond memories of staying with my aunties in Stevenston (my Dad’s home town) when I was about 5, and us going on the ferry from Ardrossan to Arran on a day trip.

I can't believe it is still getting worse. I feel so sorry for islanders, and I also feel so sorry for the Calmac staff, including Calmac management as they are in an impossible situation. I understand that the last 10 years have had a number of unpredictable crises (Covid, Brexit, Ukraine etc) however the SNP have made a complete hash of ferry transport.

Exactly. As I've said many times on MN over the years, the SNP appear to find the boring but essential bread and butter stuff any government has to tackle beneath their notice. How could they not grasp that an extremely expensive huge new ferry would need a port in tiptop order? It would only have taken one visit there for them to spot that Peel Ports were not looking after Ardrossan Harbour, to put it mildly. And so on and so forth.

If only any other political party seemed any more competent.

Unfortunately the situation with calmac has been building for years due to the lack of investment in new ferries. Those that have made it into service are too little, too late and it seems riddled with issues (Glen Sannox). SNP doesn't seem to be plan ahead - look at the council tax freeze as another example, and now councils are having to increase council tax by significant amounts playing catch up!

Another mindboggling example of incompetence - all the parts for the Glen Rosa and the Glen Sannox were apparently bought up front. It's taken so long to construct them that the 10 year warranties on the parts for the Glen Rosa have expired already, and she's not likely to be in service for another couple of years.

The single silliest moment was probably Nicola Sturgeon 'launching' the Glen Sannox in 2017, eight years before it came into service. It then emerged that the 'windows' had simply been painted on.

its also bought back find memories of holidays to Arran when I was younger. MV Caledonian Isles was brand new then and when the weather was bad, had to dock elsewhere as Ardrosson was to small. Looks like nothing has changed!

It is decimating our islands. No long term planning, terrible mismanagement, poor leadership, too many organisations and leaders (CMAL, Transport Scotland Calmac, SG, and Councils which own many of the piers that are in poor repair).

It's not surprising but I am gobsmacked we are entering yet another summer timetable with a worse service than the previous year.

I'll be interested in what each party promises in the forthcoming election. A lot of island votes may hinge on that.

I've actually never been to Arran. When the ferry came to Troon I thought it would be great to take the opportunity to go for a day trip because it's so near where I live. But I 've actually not dared to risk it in case I get stranded on Arran.
The ferry situation is horrendous. Dreadful that the islanders are being let down in this way

They need to nationalise Ardrossan. It’s the only way. The gangsters that own it aren’t going to invest.

I think they just did that @FunnyOrca

Ardrossan harbour taken into public ownership https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy03e0eyjzxo

This must be a nightmare for accommodation providers.

I'm sure it is, and also for island businesses which rely on tourists or need the ferry to get supplies in and finished products out. Re accommodation, last weekend a number of stranded passengers were put up in the Village Hall, which can't have been very comfy but better than nothing, I suppose. There have also been generous offers from locals to let complete strangers use their spare rooms in similar crises.

It's also a nightmare for island residents who are not able to get to hospital appointments, the optician, dentist, clinics, funerals, and have onward public transport connections, holidays, meetings, sporting fixtures etc.

Most services are not available on the islands themselves. Businesses are also trying to get perishable goods (shellfish, milk, cheese & meats) to mainland suppliers.

Another example of "central belt thinking" from the SNP. The Scottish government have made such a total pig's ear of running CalMac, and it's not a nice to have service - it's the ONLY way that many people living on the islands can get to work or hospital appointments. Plus it's the service which brings so many tourists into the islands to spend their money and keep the economy going. The Glen Sannox fiasco has got all the headlines but the rest of it is just as bad.

However, there are comparatively few voters on the islands so they are very low priority.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g “As I've said many times on MN over the years, the SNP appear to find the boring but essential bread and butter stuff any government has to tackle beneath their notice.”

Couldn't have put it any better! This has been rumbling for years. They had to lease a privately owned, non-state funded or subsidised ferry from a highly successful ferry business elsewhere in the country - perhaps they should be speaking to Pentland Ferries for some tips. And I bet you any regular users would prefer a foreign-built ferry that does the job over a Scottish one that breaks down if you look at it wrong.

Just covered in the national BBC news! Not often the ferries break out of the Scottish news.

It's a total nightmare for the residents and is going to kill the communities there. My husband has a good friend on Arran - used to go visit 1/2 times a year and bring the kids but they haven't gone for a couple of years now as no one is sure if they'd actually get back. My friend had an appointment in Glasgow for a specialist health thing and ended up staying in Glasgow for 3 nights to be sure he wouldn't miss it - came out 2 days early and then stayed an extra night after. Not everyone can afford that.

It's clear that there has been a lack of investment in new ferries for probably 20 years or more. But do people bhonestly think if Labour or the Tories were running the Scottish government that they would have invested more money?

I don't. Unfortunately we have become a very short sighted country when it comes to investing in infrastructure.

It's disastrous and just keeps getting worse!

Well I don’t know about that. There was a phone in on radio Scotland about the ferries the other day and the presenter stated there were more new ferries in Scotland during the Thatcher/John Major Govs than during the SNP!
Dont know where they got the stats but don’t think the bbc presenter would state that if it wasn’t correct.
SNP are very central belt focused (see the Queensferry Crossing built in record time while dualing the A9 goes on for decades) I think other parties probably take a better view of Scotland as a whole country

There have been projects outside of the central belt though. The Aberdeen bypass is one. When 80% of the population live in the central belt it is always going to get most of the attention.

But I don't think this lack of investment in infrastructure is confined to Scotland. The whole UK has become very short sighted. Politicians are only interested in short term projects hence why the UK seems incapable of even building a railway line.

Its the SNP who have been in government in Holyrood for the past almost 20 years, not Labour or the Tories.
I think many of the shorter journeys could be replaced with causeways, tunnels or bridges eg from bute to the mainland or between islay and jura.

Well, bridges and tunnels are expensive to build and maintain too. I know they use tunnels extensively in the Faroe islands, but long tunnels and bridges are very challenging technically which means expensive. Ferries really should be easier and cheaper to produce, we've been doing it for centuries and some can be used on more than one route in some circumstances, providing a degree of flexibility. Perhaps Calmac's management didn't plan ahead? Ferries don't become 30 years old overnight!

Well they wouldn’t have been focused on independence over running the country or spending millions on gender shite so…