Fears have been raised about capacity on the busiest ferry route serving the Western Isles.
It has been claimed that islanders using the Stornoway to Ullapool ferry have been denied vehicle space, while on one occasion the ferry has been too busy to take a foot passenger.
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said she has been contacted by constituents concerned that capacity will continue to be a problem on the key route over the busy summer months.
The route is currently served by the MV Loch Seaforth, the flagship ferry in the CalMac fleet which was launched in 2015.
The £42million ferry replaced the MV Isle of Lewis and the freight ferry MV Clipper Ranger.
Mrs Grant said the decision to have only one ferry on the route had resulted in the capacity issues.
Mrs Grant said: “Against all public opinion the Loch Seaforth replaced two vessels and only cut the passage time by 15 minutes, this decision is now coming back to haunt them as the route is now, as predicted, becoming overloaded and space for essential islander travel not being available.
“This all at a time which is well before the school holidays begin.
“The fact that a foot passenger was denied travel is extremely concerning. I have also been informed that the seating capacity stated for passenger travel incredulously includes the external seating which if true is a complete nonsense and would answer why recently people have taken to the floor to sit rather than sitting outside on wet cold decks.”
Scottish Labour MSP Mrs Grant has arranged to meet Martin Dorchester, chief executive of CalMac to discuss her concerns.
The £7,800 Loch Seaforth was built in yard at Flensburg in northern Germany before being brought into service on the Minch.
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said:
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The MV Loch Seaforth was designed and built to carry forecast traffic on the route.
“She brings an increase of 20% car-carrying capacity on the previous vessel, as well as having sufficient deck space to cope with overnight freight traffic.
“The vessel replacement and deployment plan keeps forecasted demand under review on an annual basis and helps develop long-term investment plans to meet this demand.
“Transport Scotland, CalMac and CMAL regularly discuss these issues with local representatives through ferry user group meetings.”
He added the government has made “substantial investment” including the introduction of the Loch Seaforth and majority funding of harbour upgrades at Ullapool and Stornoway.