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US ferry system in ‘severe turmoil’ as 38 lawmakers write to Congress ‘urgently’ requesting extra funds

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From the Seattle Medium today: The Washington State Ferry system (WSF) is currently facing severe turmoil, prompting 38 elected leaders to send a letter to Congress urgently requesting funding “at the highest level possible” to aid WSF in its operations. The agency is currently operating with just over half the number of boats it needs to effectively serve the region. Despite receiving over $140 million in federal grants over the past two years, WSF requires additional funding and time to address staffing and vessel availability crises. In an effort to restore full service as quickly as possible, lawmakers from seven … Continue reading US ferry system in ‘severe turmoil’ as 38 lawmakers write to Congress ‘urgently’ requesting extra funds

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Ferries out of service? 29% out of service in affluent Washington State and only 9% out of service in Scotland as Calmac continues at 99% on time

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By Professor John Robertson, Scotland’s only Ferry Correspondent who looks at other ferry services too. From King 5 Seattle today: Washington State Ferries (WSF) is preparing to see more than 300,000 passengers for Memorial Day Weekend, enough people to fill T-Mobile Park six times. This is the start of the busy summer season when the ferries see double the number of passengers as they do in the winter. This influx of people comes as the system struggles with a shortage of boats. Washington State Ferries has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are in service currently. They need … Continue reading Ferries out of service? 29% out of service in affluent Washington State and only 9% out of service in Scotland as Calmac continues at 99% on time

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As CalMac averages over 99% reliability last week Peel Port’s blame for Arran problems is confirmed, problems pile up for ferry services elsewhere

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From the Scotsman, today: Claims by the owner of a harbour on CalMac’s busiest route that its poor condition is due to damage by the operator’s ferries have been rubbished by another ports firm which said the fleet had not harmed any of its own 26 harbours. Who owns Peel Ports? John Whittaker (born 14 March 1942) is a British billionaire. He is chairman of the Peel Group, a property business that mainly invests in North West England. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Whittaker is worth £1.95 billion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Whittaker_(businessman) Meanwhile, in Nova Scotia (Canada): The ferry between Prince Edward Island and … Continue reading As CalMac averages over 99% reliability last week Peel Port’s blame for Arran problems is confirmed, problems pile up for ferry services elsewhere

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That’s now 10 ferry services more troubled than CalMac

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Regulars will know that Scotland’s state-run CalMac ferries were at 100% reliability across more than 300 sailings yesterday, after several days in the high 90s, despite endless media reports of delays in new ferries and planned maintenance for others. For some time, I’ve been looking at ferry services in Canada (2), the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Greece, the Channel Islands, the Scilly Isles and the Isle of Wight. Where data are published and many seem not to have to, I’ve found much higher prices everywhere, ageing vessels in the USA and Canada, delayed replacement vessels in Canada, USA (Washington State), … Continue reading That’s now 10 ferry services more troubled than CalMac

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CalMac averages 99.8% reliability over May weekend

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On Saturday 4th May, CalMac ferries made 508 sailings with 98.6% reliability. Only 2 out of the 10 Arran crossings were cancelled. Yesterday, Sunday 5th May, 100% of 360 sailings, were made on time, regardless of the late new ferries of the others in dock for planned maintenance. On these crossings, CalMac charged half the prices faced by passengers heading for the Isle of Wight, the Channel islands or the islands off Seattle or Vancouver where staff shortages meant cancellations. Sources: https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser?date=05%2F05%2F2024 Continue reading CalMac averages 99.8% reliability over May weekend

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The Largs-Cumbrae ferry is 6 years YOUNGER than a Clyde-built equivalent still in service in Ireland

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By Professor John Robertson The Herald is desperately try to make money off their ‘scoop’ on the Largs to Cumbrae ferry being 48 years old and ’23 years past its sell by date.’ Any idiot knows that sell by dates are not eat by dates. 48 years for a wee crossing ferry is not old. The aging ferry myth – Ireland has twice the GDP growth but is still using 7 of CalMac’s 50 year-old ferries Readers will know that the supposed failure of the SNP Government to invest in new ferries, despite the highest subsidies in the known world, … Continue reading The Largs-Cumbrae ferry is 6 years YOUNGER than a Clyde-built equivalent still in service in Ireland

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Canadian ferry service is 44% more expensive without the kind of massive £173 MILLION subsidy given by SNP Government for islanders in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson Washington State Ferries in the USA have just announced new prices for the popular 15 miles, 1 hour crossing of the sheltered Puget Sound, between Bremerton and Seattle – $54.35 or £43.30. https://mynorthwest.com/3959021/travel-alert-washington-ferry-prices-go-up-amid-waves-riders/ The popular 14.3 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes crossing of the, at times very stormy, Firth of Clyde, from Brodick, Arran to Ardrossan, is £30.20. How is this possible? In 2022/2023, the SNP Government ferry subsidy to keep prices down to affordable levels for hopefully grateful islanders, native or settler, was £173 MILLION! https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24276739.calmac-gets-63-real-terms-public-subsidy-rise-despite-drop/#:~:text=Then%20the%20grant%20to%20CalMac,space%20of%20just%20one%20year. There are many mainland villages in Scotland with far … Continue reading Canadian ferry service is 44% more expensive without the kind of massive £173 MILLION subsidy given by SNP Government for islanders in Scotland

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Six ferries ‘down’ YET state-owned CalMac at 100% where it matters and not one island cut-off

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By Professor John Robertson, Talking-up Scotland’s International Ferry Correspondent and Factchecker In the Herald today: Six of CalMac’s ageing ferry fleet were placed out of action at the weekend as a new breakdown ‘calamity’ has deepened. Thirty-three-year-old MV Loch Buie, the 11-year-old pioneering diesel electric hybrid ferry MV Lochinvar and CalMac’s oldest ferry 48-year-old MV Isle of Cumbrae, joined MV Caledonian Isles, MV Loch Shira and MV Isle of Lewis on the sidelines since Friday as a new wave of problems hit the state-owned ferry company’s fleet. Here’s the thing. State-owned and because it is, CalMac has the resources to … Continue reading Six ferries ‘down’ YET state-owned CalMac at 100% where it matters and not one island cut-off

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CalMac currently operating at over 99% reliability with most destinations at 100%

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The Times, the Scotsman and many others are going with a ‘summer of chaos‘ narrative for Scotland’s ferries because of delays with two new boats and extended maintenance for the MV Caledonian Isles but surely those are current problems for the ferry service, affecting current performance? By Professor John Robertson, Talking-up Scotland’s International Ferries Correspondent Gee, I wonder how we could find out how reliable CalMac is? I know, unlike any other ferry service in the world, they have to publish daily figures. Let’s have a look. Yesterday – 502 sailings and 99% of them on time The day before? … Continue reading CalMac currently operating at over 99% reliability with most destinations at 100%

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New Zealand government has no plans to avert another terrifying incident when ageing ferry drifted towards rocks, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers

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From Newsroom NZ today: In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions and the collapse of key industries like coal mining. Add to that the Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ bombshell decision not to pump another billion dollars into the Interislander mega ferries, sinking the project and leaving a question mark over KiwiRail’s future as a shipping operator. “I … Continue reading New Zealand government has no plans to avert another terrifying incident when ageing ferry drifted towards rocks, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers