One of the two Corran Ferry vessels will return by early June

Highland Council said the relief vessel would return but MV Corran will not be back until late June at the earliest.

By Louise Glen

May 23 2023, 3:30 pm

The Corran Ferry which runs from Corran to Nether Lochaber across Loch Linnhe is currently out of action due to mechanical and maintenance problems. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

The smaller of the two vehicle-carrying Corran Narrows ferries will return early next month – but the larger vessel will not be back for at least another four weeks.

Highland Council is now saying it will be the end of June before full service is resumed on the Corran Ferry route.

It has already been an agonising eight weeks wait for passengers from Morvern, Ardnamurchan and Mull – after a fault on the relief vessel The MV Maid of Glencoul brought the passenger vehicle service on the short Corran Narrows route to a standstill.

Passengers were asked to take a 41-mile detour around Loch Linnhe, and the council has provided alternative crossings and bus services in the meantime.

MV Corran on Loch Linnhe. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

Clearer dates for the return of the vessels have come, as the council’s depute chief executive visited the dry dock in Glasgow to check for progress.

MV Corran will not return for four more weeks

Highland Council, which runs the ferry service, said Malcolm MacLeod visited the headquarters of Wartsila in Renfrew on May 19 to receive a detailed update on the status of repairs to the MV Corran.

In a statement, it said the Maid of Glencoul remains on course for a return to service at the beginning of June. But the MV Corran is still waiting for parts, and will not return until the end of June at the very earliest.

Wartsila is the Glasgow base is where the parts are being assembled to repair the damage found with the propulsion unit of the MV Corran.

The bigger-capacity MV Corran has now been out of service for some seven months, after she failed to return from her annual refit in November.

The council said “critical parts are still awaited from the supplier Voith”, a company based in Germany.

It stated: “Whilst the first shipment will be with Wartsila by the end of this week, the damage to the crown gear has meant that a new one must be recast, and this is not expected until later in June.”

The council said it was “making all efforts to expedite the delivery of this part”, but there are supply chain challenges due to high levels of demand.

Supply chain issues

While it is waiting for parts, the MV Corran will be towed to the dry dock on Bute, so that other maintenance activity can take place.

MV Maid of Glencoul. Corran Narrows. Image: Supplied by Simon Willis.

The second vessel, Maid of Glencoul, suffered a failure of the drive shaft and is currently in dry dock at Bute. The parts that failed have been re-manufactured and delivery is expected tomorrow.

Rebuild will take place over the course of the rest of this week, and it is hoped that this work, as well as other routine maintenance work, including replacement of the main windscreen, will be complete by May 29.

Following sea trials and re-certification, it is planned for the Maid of Glencoul to be back in service by June 5.

The spokeswoman added: “Regular updates will be provided over the course of this period to ensure all stakeholders are kept abreast of progress.”