It’s chaotic out there on the seas, as regulars here will know.
BC Ferries in Canada can’t get crew to run their aging fleet but can make huger profits. Washington State Ferries has just told their customers they’ll have to grin and bear it for six years with only half of their boats serviceable, until they get new vessels built. Kingston Ferries in Lake Ontario, Canada, are still using the old ferries two years after two new vessels built in Romania arrived unfit for service. Condor Ferries in the Channel Islands can’t get a boat that will run for any length of time and have hiked costs by 10% to more than double CalMac prices. Isle of Wight’s Red Funnel are making profits and charging twice CalMac rates. New Zealand’s Cook Strait service is ‘catastrophic’ with aging boats actually drifting to the rocks and a $3bn bill for new two new vessels and harbour work refused by the government and now cancelled. In Greece, no ferries at all in winter to smaller islands.
Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines? You don’t want to know.
Sources here if you just search for keywords.
Now, in the Netherlands, today, we hear:
The GVB has also taken five ferries out of service because these ships have technical problems. As a result, the F9 ferry route between Sporenburg and Zeeburgereiland is not operational.
https://nltimes.nl/2024/01/10/amsterdam-noord-public-transport-woes-continue-days
Are there any decent ferry services out there?
CalMac, in the coldest, stormiest waters of any, is at 100%, barring weather safety cancellations. Scotland’s islanders must be chuffed or would be if they knew any of this.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Well done CalMac!
LikeLike
Well done John Robertson!! Yi dinnae let go.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Daphne
Well done John Robertson!!! Yi dinnae let go.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ooft, that gotta hurt Martin…. 🤣
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well done John!
Keep after the truth !
It would be great to have breakdown statistics compared to. ferries in other countries.
I was a Chief engineer on ferries and the difficulties in getting through winters months here are amongst the worst in the world. I was at sea for 25years with 18 of them in UK Territorial waters including the Western Isles, Clyde and North Sea.
LikeLiked by 2 people
WAT ARE THESE
LYING CORRUPT UNIONISTS SAY NOW
SCOTLAND IS BEST IN THE WORLD
LikeLike
There are a number of the inner islands which could be connected to the mainland by bridges or tunnels. This requires a Keynesian investment of public funds. If there had been a sovereign wealth fund established as Norway did then we could have Norwegian and Faroes style connectivity to less populous areas.
This would free up ferries to increase services in the outer islands and enhance those in Orkney and Shetland.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another sweeping statement with absolutely no proper research, cherry picking examples as you go along. ‘CalMac, in the coldest, stormiest waters of any……’. Really? The Faroes, and Scandinavians might like a word.
You’re a complete fantasist – if you’re actually proud of your country you’ve got to be realistic and critical about the way it’s run, regardless of the party who’s in power.
LikeLike
The route from Prince Rupert in British Columbia across 75 miles of largelynopen water to Skidegate Landing on Haida Gwaii is often cancelled sometimes tbe trip takes over 24 hours due to pacific storms m. I lived there and the aether is extreme. It reminds me of Lewis five degrees further south.
LikeLike
ANYONE TOLD THE LONDON BIASED BBC AND STV WHO ALMOST DAILY HAVE AN SNP BAAAD STORY ABOUT CAL MAC FERRIES.
LikeLike
Unionist media will use anything to have a go at SNP run Scotland they are disgraceful. We will not forget them . The black book is getting filled up.
LikeLike