Competition to name next two new ferries for CalMac fleet

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) is calling for the public’s help to decide the names of two new ships for the west coast ferry network.

The pair of vessels being built in Turkey are designated for the increasingly busy Islay route and will offer CalMac the much needed opportunity to deploy vessels to the Western Isles and west coast to cover breakdowns or drydock periods.

The same shipyard has won an order to construct another set of sister ships for Harris and Uist.

Each of the new 95-metre-long vehicle/passenger ferries will be able to carry up to 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 artics.

All four are similar in length, capacity and design so can be switched around. They will also fit at more island piers compared to the present fleet.

CMAL, which owns the vessels, has produced a shortlist of names with ties to the landscape and history of Islay and Jura for the first two ships.

Voters can then select their two favourites from the list, and the two most popular names will be given to the sister vessels.

The shortlisted names are:

• Isle of Islay – the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides.

• Pioneer – a ferry built in 1974 serving West Loch Tarbert and Port Ellen on Islay. She was the longest vessel to operate this far up the loch.

• Loch Gruinart – a sea loch on the north coast of Islay.

• Loch Indaal – a sea loch south of Loch Gruinart, and inspiration for the folk song - “The Lights of Lochindaal" by Iain Simpson.

• Laggan Bay – home to ‘The Big Strand’, a five-mile-long beach, located on the southeast entrance to Loch Indaal.

• Machir Bay – a small bay on the west coast of Islay.

Anybody with an interest in the ferries is welcome to vote from today until the midnight on 14th May.

Kevin Hobbs, Chief Executive of CMAL said: “The two new vessels for Islay and Jura will be a welcome addition to our fleet of vessels - however they are currently nameless.

“We have a strong list of names with ties to the communities the sister ships will serve, and I look forward to seeing which ones prove most popular."

Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart said: “I’d encourage the public to have their say on the names for these two new vessels, which will bring welcome additional resilience for our island communities served by the Islay routes.

“These links are some of the busiest services for freight on the Clyde and Hebrides network so it’s a great opportunity for local communities to get involved by picking from the shortlisted names with links to Islay and Jura.

“These new vessels underline the Scottish Government’s commitment to bringing in new ferries and we want to continue to see progress on bringing vessels into service on time and budget.”

Work is progressing well at Cemre Shipyard on the ferries, with delivery expected towards the end of 2024 for vessel one, and early 2025 for vessel two.

The ferries have a clear focus on freight, as well as sufficient passenger accommodation to meet anticipated demand, with capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars, or 14 commercial vehicles. This will provide a combined 40% increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes, and will improve the overall resilience of the wider fleet.

The Islay vessels form part of a programme of investment by CMAL, funded through Scottish Government commitments to capital investment of around £700 million in ferry infrastructure and related services over the five years from 2021 to 2026.

Wider plans will deliver other new small and major vessels for the fleet and upgrades of harbour infrastructure with future options being considered through the emerging Islands Connectivity Plan.

Competition to name next two new ferries for CalMac fleet

24 April 2023