The ferry fiasco just keeps shifting by the day, and folk are feeling it. Easter plans have been thrown completely off course, and the hospitality sector is taking yet another financial hit. The situation is probably the worst it’s ever been. So many ferries are out of action, the fleet is getting older by the day, and now — just as CalMac shares its latest update — we’re hit with yet another problem: the weather.
CalMac’s incident management team has pulled together a contingency plan as the crisis deepens, with two major vessels — the MV Isle of Arran and MV Lord of the Isles — still out of service over one of the busiest weekends of the year. There’s still no clear word on when either ship will return. Western Isles routes are under huge pressure, with just two ferries expected to cover work that normally needs five. The usual increase in sailings for the summer timetable is on hold, and reduced capacity on the Sound of Harris is making travel even tougher across the Outer Hebrides.
To try to steady things, CalMac is preparing to redeploy the new MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Islay to Western Isles routes. The company says it hopes the Glen Sannox will be back on the Troon–Brodick run from Thursday 2 April, assuming final trials go well. The Isle of Islay will stay on the Kennacraig–Islay (Port Askaig) route for a few more days. For now, CalMac says its plans for the weekend remain unchanged — and with the weather closing in, it’s unlikely vessels can be moved around the network any sooner.
The Met Office has issued weather warnings across Scotland, with very strong winds expected late on Saturday and into the early hours of Easter Sunday. The alert begins at 6pm on Saturday, when a deepening Atlantic low is forecast to reach the coast near Vatersay before sweeping over the Western Isles and tracking northeast. The warning stays in place until midday on Easter Sunday.
Looking ahead to next week — weather permitting — CalMac plans to send the Glen Sannox to Oban and Castlebay for berthing trials. If those go well, she’ll be put into service for Barra. The Isle of Islay is set to move onto the Uig–Tarbert/Lochmaddy route. These changes would finally end the current shared Uig–Tarbert/Lochmaddy/Castlebay timetable and restore Barra and Little Minch services to what they were meant to be.
But that improvement comes with a cost: it’s understood South Uist will be left without a ferry service.
As part of the reshuffle, the MV Clansman will leave the Western Isles and return to her usual Oban–Coll/Tiree/Colonsay route — a run CalMac says she’s far better suited to than the MV Isle of Mull, which is currently covering it. The Isle of Mull will return to her own Oban–Craignure sailings and boost capacity there.
Islay will drop to a single‑vessel service with the MV Finlaggan, and Arran will also be on a single ship — the MV Caledonian Isles — until the MV Alfred finishes her overhaul and returns to the Troon–Brodick route.
CalMac says this deployment plan will stay under review and is expected to remain in place until the MV Hebrides returns from annual maintenance on Wednesday 15 April. The company is working today to finalise the details and will publish full information on Thursday 2nd April.
Photo by Andrew Dawes on Unsplash
