Missed hospital appointments, disrupted patient travel, delays to foodstuffs and supplies because of a diminish ferry services risk impacting islanders in Uist and Barra into next week.
Unsettled weather forecasts for the coming days combined with a dearth of appropriate ferries conspire to cause serious problems for the busy Berneray -
Engine problems curtail regular Sound of Harris vessel, MV Loch Portain, putting to sea in all but benign weather. To make matters worse, there is no spare ship for the service.
Despite having successfully berthed countless times at each pier over the past 37 years, CalMac’s plan to deploy MV Hebridean Isles on a substitute sea route between Tarbert and Lochmaddy has gone awry as the veteran vessel has been declared no longer suitable for either harbour.
Weekend trials show recent construction work at the wharfs prevent the Heb Isles from safely using the ports for commercial services says the operator.
Caledonian MacBrayne says it is looking at deployment options to supplement the Sound of Harris service with the ongoing issues faced by MV Loch Portain.
The shipping firm’s operation’s manager warns of a “significant impact on all aspects of our communities throughout the Western Isles in the coming days.”
She added: “I understand that this will cause significant disruption to our inter-
“However, please be assured that essential traffic will be prioritised, and our port teams will do their utmost to ensure space is allocated fairly.”
Whilst the Heb Isles ran out of these ports for 15 years on the Skye triangle link, recent infrastructure works carried out by the harbour authorities at Lochmaddy and Tarbert mean “she is no longer able to safely berth alongside at night at either port.”
“She is now severely limited with weather and tides in Lochmaddy due to the change in the berthing infrastructure.
Any deployment on the alternative route would require her to tie up every night in Tarbert but “new fendering and bollard system installed as part of the upgrade works does not allow for this.”
Sound of Harris sailings have regularly been cancelled, sometimes for days on end -
CalMac continues to review vessel deployment.
CalMac warns of ‘significant impact’ to island community this week after ferry declared no longer suitable for ports
6 November 2023
