Tag: ferry

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Yes, yes, but when you look at the facts globally, CalMac is the best deal for passengers in the world

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald today struggling to keep the flow of bad news on ferries going, ignores the wider facts: Has anyone in the Scottish media looked at any other ferry services in other parts which might be exemplars of how to do things? They 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 … Continue reading Yes, yes, but when you look at the facts globally, CalMac is the best deal for passengers in the world

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On Malta, timetables are purely expressions of intent – ferries leave when they are ready and if the gangway has not fallen into the sea

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By JB Didn’t see this across ‘our’ media, after all The herald and STV, are shouting about “new direct flights from Glasgow to ‘fantastic’ holiday destination” Glasgow Airport sees new twice-weekly Malta flight launched | The Herald Ryanair announces new direct flights to Malta | STV News People stranded at Gozo fast ferry terminals after gangway falls in sea. No politician, no MP, no council, no councillor, no government or government official and no ferry operator blamed.  From The Times of Malta 2 March 2025. People stranded at Gozo fast ferry terminals after gangway falls in sea  Voyages were cancelled … Continue reading On Malta, timetables are purely expressions of intent – ferries leave when they are ready and if the gangway has not fallen into the sea

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A passenger pushed to his death, fishermen killed by crew who don’t speak English, car decks flooding, one ferry runs aground because the only man on the bridge pressed the wrong button, really old ferries, high prices, endless cancellations…it kind of makes you think maybe CalMac is the best in the world?

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Today Red Funnel [should be Red Face] ferries on the Isle of Wight cancel sailings and disrupt travel because they spend too much on shareholder dividends and executive bonuses and thus don’t spend enough on maintenance or replacement.1 In October 2024, a late-arriving passenger was pushed into the screws, to his death, in Greece. Then the crews all went on strike for months, islanders ran out of food and, only three years before a ferry with 530 on board had sunk.2 In July 2024, a Channel Islands ferry kills French fishermen because the crew do not … Continue reading A passenger pushed to his death, fishermen killed by crew who don’t speak English, car decks flooding, one ferry runs aground because the only man on the bridge pressed the wrong button, really old ferries, high prices, endless cancellations…it kind of makes you think maybe CalMac is the best in the world?

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Affluent Toronto’s ferries, 61 to 114 years old, crash into docks, injure passengers and cause massive delays

johnrobertson834

From blogTO in Toronto, Canada, three days ago, we see that all of its ferries are out of service because the ice-breaker boat is in dock for maintenance. You’d think they’d get the maintenance done in summer? Also: While the City’s ferry fleet carries more than 1.4 million passengers annually, its current ferries are between 61 and 114 years old. [CalMac’s oldest ferry is 48] Back in September, the almost 90-year-old William Inglis ferry experienced a mechanical issue and subsequently drifted into the wooden slip at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. Although paramedics and Toronto Police’s marine unit were called to the … Continue reading Affluent Toronto’s ferries, 61 to 114 years old, crash into docks, injure passengers and cause massive delays

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Privatised English ferry company has 30% of its fleet in dock, with no new replacements due

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From BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight, 26th January 2025: Ferry passengers will face journey disruption as two vessels undergo repair and maintenance work. Operator Red Funnel, which has a service between the Isle of Wight and Southampton, will run a one-boat timetable for at least three weeks from Sunday while the foot passenger ferries are out of action. The firm’s Red Jet 6 ferry has been sent to Wight Shipyard for a permanent repair to one of its water jet shaft seals, which was temporarily fixed in November. Red Jet 7 will begin its annual maintenance work once Red … Continue reading Privatised English ferry company has 30% of its fleet in dock, with no new replacements due

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Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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From the Island Echo yesterday: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in the House of Commons this lunchtime (Wednesday) that ferry services to and from the Isle of Wight have ‘not been good enough’, and promises that the Maritime Minister will hold further meetings with Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel. Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, stood up during today’s Prime Minister’s Questions to ask whether or not the Government agrees that the anomaly surrounding Isle of Wight cross-Solent travel must come to an end. In his address, Mr Robertson said: “My constituents on the Isle of Wight … Continue reading Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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Maybe CalMac should call Trump and offer to take over the worst ferry service in the developed world

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By Professor John Robertson, International Ferry Correspondent Washington State has a population of 8 million, around 50% more than Scotland but it’s coastal islands off Seattle, sit in far milder and less stormy seas than on the West coast of Scotland. It’s GDP of around $680 billion is significantly higher than that of Scotland at $230bn (£187bn) but despite that Washington State Ferries (privately owned with dividend holders) may be the worst in the developed world. From King-TV Seattle, yesterday: Governor-elect Bob Ferguson boarded a state ferry Wednesday and sailed into uncharted waters on Wednesday. The state ferry system is sinking, with … Continue reading Maybe CalMac should call Trump and offer to take over the worst ferry service in the developed world

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Ford Fiasco as Guardian reveals Scotland’s ferries cost ‘eye wateringly’ less to maintain than the average family car

johnrobertson834

I know, I’ve done this already but seeing it in the Guardian, the newspaper of academics and professionals, is a further example of their jaundiced and/or ill-informed coverage when it comes to Scotland but, usefully, prompts me to check if that is actually a lot to spend on maintenance. So, here we go, more sums, stay with me, Primary 5-level sums. The average family car: The average large ferry: Thus, average family car annual maintenance, per passenger, per mile, costs 2p, 7.14 times that of the average large ferry, per passenger per mile. Continue reading Ford Fiasco as Guardian reveals Scotland’s ferries cost ‘eye wateringly’ less to maintain than the average family car

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CalMac ferries don’t cost ‘ferry much’ to keep in service!!!!

johnrobertson834

Mr Robertson, Primary 7, Room 12 The Herald’s Craig Paton (14?) wrote the above. Nope, me neither. Other media are having a slavering, low-intellect, feast on that huge £100 million figure that he’s built up. The average 11 year-old would be shocked at the idiocy and mendacity. Note, it’s ‘repair’ not ‘maintenance?’ Drip, drip, drip…. Anyhow, class: If it costs £100 million to maintain 8 ferries for 10 years, how much did it cost to maintain 1 ferry, on average each year? Bobby – Easy! Easy! 2 minutes later, Bobby has it, £0.125 million or 125 000. Sounds a lot, … Continue reading CalMac ferries don’t cost ‘ferry much’ to keep in service!!!!

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Canadian Government has to buy wee Norwegian ferry second-hand for private company operating only 3 and losing 2, at last minute, and sail it round the warmer, calmer edges of the Atlantic for a month and 10 000 miles

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From CBC, today: New ferry for beleaguered P.E.I.-N.S. service making its way across Atlantic Ocean – The much-anticipated ferry slated for service between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., is crossing the Atlantic Ocean on its way to the Maritimes, Transport Canada says. The ferry, which has been renamed MV Northumberland from MV Fanafjord, was acquired by Transport Canada on Dec. 12. It began its voyage from Norway to Canada on Dec. 23. The federal government paid about $40 million for the vessel. To avoid risks posed by winter conditions in the North Atlantic, the ferry moved south toward Cape Verde, off … Continue reading Canadian Government has to buy wee Norwegian ferry second-hand for private company operating only 3 and losing 2, at last minute, and sail it round the warmer, calmer edges of the Atlantic for a month and 10 000 miles