By Professor John Robertson, Rough Guide Best International Ferry Correspondent 2022, 2023 and 2024
In the Herald yesterday:
MUCH has been said about Scotland’s ongoing ferry fiasco which has left the network with a large number of passengers but hardly any ships. It should be the gold standard of marine disasters, an exemplar to show the world how not to do things.
An exemplar, eh, Simpson?
Have you looked at any other ferry services in other parts which might be exemplars of how to do things?
You haven’t? Thought so. Too tired? Here, I’ll do it.
First, Calmac has 33 vessels in service, with 5 new ones imminent, for 5.3 million passengers and ticket prices kept low by the biggest government subsidies in the world.
In sharp contrast:
New Zealand – 4 cases of running aground, drifting toward rocks and hitting wharves in only two years due to under-staffing and under-training (Only man on the bridge could not disable the autopilot because he did not know to hold the button down for 5 seconds!). Harbour master bullied to allow larger ferries through dangerous narrows. Two new ferries cancelled when incoming government refused to pay $3 billion for them. MV Sannox and Glen Rosa – £360 million.
Greece – one ferry sinks with 530 on board, one passenger pushed to his death for arriving late and looking like an immigrant; tourists suffering in overcrowding and having to walk through waves onto beach carrying their cases; no service at all in off-season for smaller islands; currently all on strike.
Isle of Wight – mass cancellations, summer prices 2 to 4 times CalMac equivalents to enable shareholder dividends.
Washington State – far older ferries, far more cancellations and far higher prices, staffing shortages due to low pay and 29% of the fleet in dock compared to 9% of the Calmac fleet. Has 21 ferries and only 9 are in good condition. Still running the 64 year-old MV Nicola, the 65 year-old MV Tachek and MV Quadra Queen II.
Lake Michigan USA – 72 year-old coal-fired ferry still serving in one of wealthiest countries in the World
Channel Islands – Foreign ferry crew cannot speak and steer well enough to avoid killing fishermen or hit a harbour wall and twice the ticket price of CalMac
British Columbia – the same as Washington State and delays three to four times longer than on CalMac boats. Still running the 64 year-old MV Nicola, the 65 year-old MV Tachek and MV Quadra Queen II.
Nova Scotia – ‘Complete insanity’ as Canadian ferry service is cut completely for two months, despite calmer seas, to population the size of Arran.
Georgia, USA – Ferry jetty death scandal as 7 dead in US state with more than twice per head Scotland’s GDP.
Lake Ontario – cheap Romanian ferries unable to operate safely two years after delivery, vessels twice the age of CalMac’s and crewing so sparse as to risk disaster.
Tasmania – 2 ferries bought from Finland 2 years before harbour work to suit them is in place and being kept in Leith to avoid ice off Finland.
Norway – Shortfalls in crew numbers and regulations governing rest periods make non-scheduled extra crossings problematic. This results in many cancelled crossings, causing major irritation to travellers along the Norwegian coast.
Croatia – 55 year-old Croatian ferry failure kills 3 as cheap steel ruptures.
Scilly Isles – Aging English lifeline ferry, 37 years older than CalMac equivalent, takes twice as long for half the distance.
Ireland – Utter chaos and misery for disabled as Irish Ferries have to use four different ferries on the Rosslare-Pembroke route, in just one year.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I do love a bit of well researched context.
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”If Carlsberg made ferries …. then CalMac would be their name .”
If The Herald was a quality newspaper it would not print sh*t !
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The Scottish Islands Typology Overview 2024
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-islands-typology-overview-2024/pages/7/
5 Exploring individual factors: population, local amenities, and ferry connections
“This chapter provides information on how Scotland’s islands might be grouped in terms of the individual dimensions of population, access to local services and amenities, and connections to mainland Scotland via ferries and fixed links. This may be of particular use to those whose work focuses on these specific areas.”
some examples in this section
“Those islands which have seen population growth have seen a substantial increases in those aged over 65”
(during the period 2001 and 2021)
“Arran, Bute and Cumbraes had 13% population decline.”
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Rater than restate facts to us, have you challenged the Papers that write this shit?
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Yes, several times, to little effect.
Rather than just ask me to do it again, you have a go?
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The Shetland Island Council has tried to jump the queue for ferry funding by the Scottish Government by applying for a UK Government Leveling Up Award for a new Fair Isle Ferry.
The UK’s Levelling Up award of £27 million, initially for replacement of the aging Fair Isle Ferry by a new RoRo vessel and linkspans is already heading towards the next Scottish Ferry Fiasco.
The £27 million award plus a £3 million contribution by the Shetland Islands Council was totaly inadequate for the project as publicised.
The project is now being revised to a new vessel with some upgrading of the terminals but still a LoLo service currently estimated at costing between £40 and £45 million.
The Shetland Island Council is hoping to put submit its business case for payment of the award to the UK Government by the end of this year, in order to meet the cut off date in early 2026 for “substantial progress to be made on the project”.
Early signs are that there is a distinct possibility of a rerun of the Scilly Islands Ferry Fiasco with no doubt a significant transfer of responsibility to the bypassed Scottish Government.
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In that case, the SG should ask those who applied for UK funding if they have bicycles and if affirmative, to use them instead.
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Somebody might want to look at the ferry service ( Shetland council ) performance figures.
Golfnut
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Good point
Might need an FoI
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34 ferries. 6 on order. 70,000 islanders. 1 ferry per 2,000. Better than some bus services. Subsidised fares for flights and ferries.
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IThe best in the world?
Only Scotsmen, notoriously known world-wide for stubbornness, would categorize Calmac’s services as ‘best in the world’. This ‘Talking Up Scotland’ nonsense works best as world-class satirical material – it is devoid of any grass-root reality understandings. In case you need to know, even if you try and state the opposite – it is NORWAY that has the best ferry system in the world, perhaps in close competition with Sweden. They laugh openly at us.
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