Half of new ferry built in Poland 22/7/14
Decks 5,6 and 7 for the MV Loch Seaforth were manufactured at a shipyard in Gdansk
while the lower part of the ship was built in the Flensburger shipyard in Germany.
In addition, the three main generators which will provide electrical power for the
vessel - one which can also double up to drive a propulsion unit as a “spare” engine
- were designed in Finland and made in China.
The ferry has an open deck to the stern to allow her to carry dangerous goods, like
fuel and gas cylinders or fuel tankers, in the open air.
This also means that the Royal Navy bomb disposal team can travel on the new ship
instead of sailing via the MV Hebrides through Tarbert to deal with any suspect explosive
devices on Lewis.
The new ferry will be capable of operating 24 hours a day and will have a capacity
for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles.
She should be 10% faster than the present MV Isle of Lewis.
CMAL is the Scottish Government company which owns the ships providing ferry services
to the Western Isles. Under European rules the vessels are charted to a the best
operator which successfully bids to run the service.