A ferry brought in to ease pressure on West Coast CalMac routes will begin sea trials on April 18.
The MV Alfred will be based in Campbeltown until ready to go into service, and will be operated, staffed and maintained by the ship’s owners, Pentland Ferries.
The Scottish Government said it had provided £9million worth of funding for the “additional ferry” to serve on the Clyde and Hebrides network.
The MV Alfred will join the CalMac fleet on a nine-month charter after an agreement was reached with its owners.
It is not yet known what route it will be used on, but a similar vessel, the MV Pentalina, had sea trials in 2021 to Islay and between Oban and Craignure. At the time the catamaran was rejected.
CalMac says it will engage with communities and confirm the details of her deployment after sea trials have taken place.
Limitations on ferry
However, it is not all good news, as ramp modifications on the MV Alfred and in ports are likely to be required before it can be deployed.
And, CalMac has indicated that although the MV Alfred has similar vehicle-carrying capacity to existing vessels such as MVs Caledonian Isles, Clansman and Hebrides, it is likely the overall capacity would be reduced due to increased turnaround times, passage times and the limitation of length of the working day due to the crewing model.
Transport minister Jenny Gilruth said: “This is a key step in our longer term commitment to retain a fully crewed vessel in the fleet for this purpose, as set out in the draft islands connectivity plan.
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lifeline ferry fleet and better meeting the needs of island communities.”
The MV Alfred is “single-ended”, meaning a turnaround time of approximately 45 minutes is needed when she berths in port.
Robbie Drummond, CalMac’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted that MV Alfred will be joining the CalMac fleet, her addition will provide much-needed resilience.
“While her design means that she can only operate to some ports, having this extra vessel will help support the rest of the fleet during times of annual maintenance or disruption.”
A CalMac spokeswoman confirmed: “The primary focus for the use of MV Alfred will be to have her available for resilience purposes and provide relief benefits across the network.
“This should help mitigate the impact of disruption or where certain islands are reduced to single vessel service.
“Although resilience availability will remain the priority, there may be opportunities to facilitate some additional, non-bookable freight sailings, when possible, to support capacity constraints.
“This is most likely to be focused on freight operations at key pinch points on the network.”
MV Alfred
The MV Alfred entered service on 1 November 2019.
It has spacious seating areas, a café, outdoor seating, and an indoor dog-friendly sundeck lounge.
There is also a lift for access from the car deck to the lounges, space for 98 cars, or 54 cars with 12 articulated vehicles/coaches and 430 passengers.
It is claimed by the ship’s owners it is the “cleanest and greenest ferry of its kind”, with over 60% less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than similar ferries serving the Scottish islands.
MV Alfred was built in Vung Tao, Vietnam at the Strategic Marine shipyard. It is an 85m catamaran designed by BMT Nigel Gee.
Work commenced in April 2017 when the keel laying ceremony took place.
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