The Herald’s pressganged Ferry Correspondent, Maritime Williams has just surfaced with another in his Scotland’s (Crap) Ferries Newsletter to ask:
Will one of CalMac’s oldest ferries ever return after nine months out?
The MV in question in the Hebridean Isles, was launched 38 years ago in Selby, not on the Clyde.
The non-Clyde build is a worry but 38 is not old for a ferry.
11 of the 21 Washington State ferries, in the affluent Seattle area, are older than this. Three were built in the 1970s, two in the 1960s and one still operating was built in 1959.
Of the 36 BC Ferries in the also affluent area around Vancouver, 7 are older and 1 still serving is 63 years old.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
He actually had two articles, “‘Creaking at the seams’: CalMac faced with five ferries down in 24 hours” as well as the “Will one of CalMac’s oldest ferries ever return after nine months out?” referring to the other article in this later rhetoric… https://archive.ph/itnQn
Yet it is the purported ‘ferry user group official’ who is the spur for Martin’s latest nautical adventure with this complete balderdash –
“I have always said that we should not be relying on ferries of the age of MV Hebridean Isles and I stand by that. There have been problems with it now since last Christmas so there has to be a fear over at the very least its reliability even if it ever does make a return.”
Given that the ‘ferry user group official’ and Martin will both be at least 38 and have received minimal maintenance, this suggests they cannot be relied upon either…
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