Islanders are being restricted from travelling to the mainland as many ferries are fully booked at present.
One Lewis resident said he has to wait nearly a week to get his car on the MV Loch Seaforth on the Stornoway – Ullapool run.
Tourists are cancelling their Hebridean holiday as they cannot book vehicle space at short notice.
MSP Rhoda Grant said Scottish Government failed to take steps to avoid a “summer of discontent.”
The MSP said: “We have seen a complete disregard for the communities of the Western Isles and a fudging of the term lifeline service.
“With complete withdrawal of the Lochboisdale – Mallaig ferry link a few weeks back
with absolute no consultation with the community and, the delayed start of the Campbeltown
to Ardrossan service, and then a ridiculous merry go round of boats on the Uig triangle
which highlighted the non-
The Cal Mac fleet is “inadequate and underfunded” she stated, while the transport minister has “no firm plan to address the problems.”
Mrs Grant added: “People are sick fed up of the buck being passed from SNP ministers to CMAL to Cal Mac to Transport Scotland and just want a ferry service that is in line with the lifeline provision it is supposed to be.
“The simple fact is that the ferry links have no capacity and the Scottish Government is refusing to do anything about it. “
Failure to gather information on the number of people who have been told their chosen sailing is full results in an absence of data over the scale of unmet demand.
“This is a fundamental disregard for islanders. It also vindicates those on Lewis who fought to have a two ferry solution, but were ignored,” she said.
She slammed “incompetent management” which has been “covered up” even to the point of the previous transport minister, Humza Yousaf, declaring publicly he couldn’t find a vessel to carry freight to Stornoway.
“My office found that the MV Clipper Ranger was available that very day,” said Mrs Grant.
The MSP concluded: “Outer Hebrides Tourism which is desperately trying to maintain the tourist sector of the Islands fragile economy have written to me highlighting their concerns because people are cancelling bookings because they cannot travel.
“It is also incredulous to think that islanders cannot have relatives attend funerals, have their businesses put in jeopardy and yet we have nothing from the local MSP or the minister.”
The Scottish Government said it explored chartering the MV Clipper Ranger -
Any long term lease would come at a substantial cost of millions of pounds.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Over £1 billion has been invested in ferry services across the Clyde and Hebrides since 2007, including the MV Loch Seaforth and harbour upgrades at Stornoway and Ullapool.
“We are continuing to invest in new vessels and ferry infrastructure to renew the fleet.
“Work is also already underway to appraise, and subsequently to deliver on, further
improvements to the ferry services to the Western Isles, including the important
Ullapool-
“Following local feedback last year, extra sailings have been incorporated in timetables
for this summer, including on the Stornoway-
Scottish Government “total contempt” for Western Isles over ferry services
31 July 2018
