Ferry operator CalMac has said it will do all it can to get essential supplies to the Western Isles
In light of criticism from islanders, CalMac has said it will operate untimetabled services to make sure it gets food and medicines to islanders, and take produce back to the mainland.
However, CalMac’s managing director Robbie Drummond the situation was hard to resolve due to the network being “completely stretched” due to lack of tonnage.
This week, the owner of Barratlantic, Donald Joseph Maclean, said he believed that this year was the “worst in living memory” for ferry cancellations.
He said: “CalMac need to look at the weather window and make best use of them. There has to be huge changes, and it needs to happen as soon as possible.
“If the ferry decides it is not going to come for a week, then people are without urgent supplies.”
He warned that a lack of ferry connectivity would lead to job losses. As a supplier of fish to markets across the UK and Europe, Mr MacLean said when the ferry was cancelled he could not get his fish to market.
‘Our services are completely stretched’
Today Robbie Drummond, CalMac’s managing director, said: “We will always use weather windows whenever possible to operate untimetabled services.
“During the recent periods of extremely poor weather, we took advantage of these opportunities so that essential services such as food deliveries could get to the islands and passengers could complete their journeys.
“Our services are completely stretched and unfortunately, we do not have any spare vessels we can use during times of technical issues.”
The Ferries Communities Board recently released a plea for more tonnage and for Western Isles voices to be heard in discussions regarding “lifeline” ferry services.
Mr Drummond continued: “We work closely with CMAL and Transport Scotland as they look to source more tonnage, and we look forward to welcoming new vessel MV Loch Frisa to the network this year.
“We understand how much our customers rely on lifeline ferry services, and our utmost priority is getting ferries working as they should be at what is a really difficult time for our communities.”
