A temporary timetable has been put in place after a fault was found in the CO2 firefighting system of a CalMac ferry.
MV Hebrides sailings were halted on Tuesday as the fault means the vessel cannot legally operate.
The ferry usually operates on the Uig-Lochmaddy-Tarbert route, but has been taken out of service due to the fault.
Just over two months ago, the same ferry was withdrawn from the fleet after it crashed into Lochmaddy pier.
MV Hebridean Isles stepped in to serve the route on Wednesday afternoon, beginning with an Oban to Lochmaddy sailing at 4.30pm.
It means the Islay route is now operating with only one vessel due to a lack of replacements.
A temporary timetable is to be rolled out for the coming days as the fault is repaired. It will be continually updated on CalMac’s website.
Robbie Drummond, managing director of the ferry provider, said they had “no choice” but to remove the faulty ferry from service.
“Disrupting services is a decision we do not take lightly, but as this was a safety matter, we had no choice but to remove the vessel from service; we fully understand how this affects our customers and the communities we serve,” he said.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and our team is working hard to bring MV Hebrides back into service as soon as possible and return all vessels to their normal timetabled services.”
It is hoped engineers will fix the fault onboard MV Hebrides by Friday.
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