Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac)’s troubled MV Hebridean Isles car ferry has arrived in Aberdeen for repairs in the latest chapter of a long-running saga delaying her return to service.
The 38-year-old roll-on, roll-off vessel has been out of action since February.
CalMac said there was a problem with her control system.
Different ports, no solutions
The ferry spent time in dry dock in Greenock and Birkenhead, where a rudder fault was discovered during sea trials.
She was then dry-docked in Troon, Ayrshire, for repairs. Limited space there and berthing requirements for other vessels in CalMac’s fleet forced her to relocate to Ayr.
The ferry firm said last month the problems affecting the ship were “still apparent”.
Efforts to get to the root of “manoeuvrability problems” are now continuing in Aberdeen.
MV Hebridean Isles arrived in the Granite City, now Scotland’s largest port, on August 26 and went into dry dock yesterday. Shipbuilding and repair company Dales Marine Services operates the facility alongside Pocra Quay.
A spokeswoman for CalMac said: “She has been moved so that further investigations can be carried out into her manoeuvrability problems.
“She will not be available for the rest of the summer season. Repairs in Aberdeen are expected to take around four weeks at this stage.”
Royal launch first for CalMac
MV Hebridean Isles was the first CalMac vessel to be built outside Scotland. She was also the first to be named by royalty when the Duchess of Kent launched her in 1986.
She sailed back and forth across the Little Minch on CalMac’s Uig- Lochmaddy-Tarbert triangle services for 15 years.
‘Ferry-go-round’
More recently, she was used on the sea crossing between Kennacraig, on the Kintyre peninsula, and Islay.
She has also had numerous secondments to fill frequent gaps in CalMac’s west coast route network. The ship came to the firm’s rescue on its Ardrossan-Brodick and Ardrossan-Campbeltown routes, and the ferry operator used her for freight services too.
Her prolonged absence from active service at a time when other ferries are out of action due to maintenance and repairs, as well as lengthy delays for two new vessels being built by Ferguson shipyard are causing ongoing issues for CalMac’s fleet management.
In an update on disrupted services in June, the company said: “We want to acknowledge the significant effect this situation is having on customers and businesses. This is at the forefront of our mind as we continue to focus on resuming a normal service.”
It’s the ferry’s third dry-docking in the Granite City in less than two years
It is not the first time MV Hebridean Isles has been dry-docked in Aberdeen. She spent nearly a month in the harbour in late 2021 and more than three weeks in the port towards the end of last year.
Other CalMac ferries have also had work carried out on them in the Granite City in recent years.
Conversation