In the Scotsman, two days ago, the above and:
A CalMac ferry which returned to service a year ago after 20 months of repairs that cost £11 million is to be retired, the operator has announced. Caledonian Isles, which sails on one of CalMac’s busiest routes, is due to end its 34-year career in February as part of the replacement of three of ageing large ferries with brand new vessels. The 1,000-passenger ship’s departure from the Ardrossan to Brodick in Arran service will follow 31-year-old Barra ferry Isle of Lewis’s retiral in December and that of 42-year-old spare vessel Isle of Arran – CalMac’s oldest large ferry – next August.
Not, of course reported, this:
Readers will also be aware of the regular and longstanding Scottish media reports describing the vessel as ‘troubled’ and ‘fault prone.’
While such accounts have been often exaggerated and ill-informed, it may be that the vessel has been, since its launch, marked by the consequences of political errors and shoddy work by its builders.
Launched on 25 May 1993 at Richards Shipbuilders of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, shut down only months later in 1994, the yard had no experience of building ferries for the stormy seas of Western Scotland and, notably, the Herald in December 1993, was already reporting problems with winter crossings to Ardrossan, often diverted to Gourock and local businesses complaining about that. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12703255.new-11m-arran-ferry-sails-into-fresh-row-over-reliability/
When the contract was given to the Suffolk shipbuilder, the Conservative Party Secretary of State for Scotland was Malcom Rifkind and the Minister for Industry was Ian Lang. You have to wonder why, given the yard’s lack of previous experience and imminent demise, if the Scottish Conservatives were doing a wee favour to the local MP or UK Government?
As for ‘ageing’:
The problem with Scotland’s shoddy journalism’s lack of research before reporting on ‘ageing’ ferries
The 67 year-old, still in-service MV Tillikum in Washington State USA, 23 years older than CalMac’s oldest
The 62 year-old, still in-service MV Queen of New Westminster in Canada 18 years older than CalMac’s oldest
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Back in 2022, BBC Scotland offered the above, under the heading – The problem with CalMac’s ageing ferries. Even after you add 4 years, you’ll hopefully be surprised to see that that even the oldest above, are not at all ‘ageing‘, in parts of the world far wealthier than Scotland.
How about BC Ferries in Canada (Vancouver)?
Six, all older, three far older than the MV Isle of Arran.
How about Washington State (Seattle) in the US?
Five extremely ageing vessels still sailing.
Neither have replacements due. CalMac has 7.
Finally, are our boats not better looking that those rust-buckets above? Even the oldest, the Isle of Arran?
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I see that Lundy Island (England) is served by 1 ferry – MS Oldenburg, originally in German use and 67 years old…
Big Jon
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If we had our own broadcasting service we could commission a drama series set on a West Coast ferry service. Plenty of issues to be dramatised. It’s a long time since Para Handy, 32 years since the most recent.
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