A German ship design consultants has been drafted in to help replace seven ageing ferries – potentially ending years of misery for island communities.
Flensburg-based Navalue have been handed £360,000 to help design the concept for the CalMac fleet with the aim of creating a better and greener service.
This includes ferries used on the services to the Hebrides.
Thomas Ritte, partner at Navalue told the Herald: “We are strongly committed to providing innovative, reliable and efficient ship design solutions for sustainable shipping.
“We are pleased to bring our experience in developing zero-emission transportation solutions to the CMal small vessel replacement programme and look forward to working with CMAL in their goal towards lower emission vessels.”
Problems solved?
The aim is to create small vehicle and passenger vessels with lower emissions that can be introduced to the fleet over the next ten years.
All of the ferries that are due to be replaced are over 25 years old.
They include 35-year-old MV Loch Striven on the Oban to Lismore route, 30-year-old MV Loch Dunvegan on the Colintraive to Rhubodach route and 29-year-old MV Loch Tarbert on the Tobermory to Kilchoan route.
Jim Anderson, director of vessels with CMAL said: “CMal led the way in low emission small ferries when we designed the world’s first hybrid sea-going ferries, with three hybrid vessels currently in operation on the network.
“Our aim is to ensure the next generation of small vessels is as environmentally friendly as possible by adopting further advances in battery technology and electrifying our fleet.
“Navalue will provide insight and expert knowledge as we embark on our highly ambitious and much-needed vessel renewal programme.”
Carsten Ortloff, Navalue’s firm’s lead naval architect led on the design of MV Loch Seaforth, Scotland’s biggest publicly-run ferry.
Covering the Stornoway to Ullapool route, it caused massive problems when it broke down in April this year.
Weather has also led to island communities being left without their vital services.
CMAL has said that they will learn from previous design faults when moving forward with the new fleet vessels.