has a calmac ferry ever sunk
It's a ''nationalised dinosaur'' succeeding in only one thing - ''getting the taxpayer to fork out.''. From May to September 2013, MVIsle of Arran could carry its full capacity throughout the week, doubling the service to Arran from Monday to Wednesday. .'' Islanders from Arran to Islay have lodged complaints. MV Loch Seaforth, at 116m (381ft) in length the largest vessel in the fleet, operates on the Ullapool to Stornoway, Lewis crossing. More than seven years later those ships, Glen Sannox and the as yet un-named hull 802, are still under construction at the now-nationalised Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. "CalMac need to sort this out because soon enough it will force people to want to leave the islands which is not what the islands are wanting.". CalMac warns of further disruption to ferry service due to lack of We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. The deal to build two new CalMac ferries for Arran and the Hebrides has run into serious trouble. 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But CalMac has a problem - the pace of renewal has been slow and the ageing boats are developing more faults, leading to delays and cancellations. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said he was concerned by the BBC's findings and would look into the matter further. Bow Thruster: 2 x Caterpillar 3412 approx 520kW (700hp) each. "The shops have been bare. Caledonian Isles has also been relieved by MVIsle of Mull, MVLord of the Isles and MVHebridean Isles. One design was eliminated because it was considered overpowered. The Aberdeen youth product is training with the under-21s after falling out-of-favour on Tyneside. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? She is a spare vessel during the winter months. "You cannot get more than one carton of milk in each shop. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. This change also allowed it to reduce its price by nearly 10m, making it more competitive, CMAL assessors held a "confidential" meeting with Ferguson, the only bidder to receive an in-person meeting. [1] During the summer, MVIsle of Arran, replaced at Islay in 2011,[2] supplements the Ardrossan - Brodick service and sails to Campbeltown. Over 60s discount | FAQs | CalMac Ferries . It added that some staff employed at the time had now left. We will continue to prioritise urgent deliveries and return the service to full timetable as quickly as we can.". When deployed, these allow additional cars to be loaded. [1] She was built for and has run on the Largs to Cumbrae route since 2007. The next deck up has the forward observation lounge at the bow and crew accommodation. [3] The first, named MVGlen Sannox is due to enter service at Ardrossan,[4] and is now scheduled for delivery in mid 2023. Eddie Howe makes damning Ryan Fraser Newcastle admission as Scotland star's 'commitment' questioned. She was built in 2015 as Utne and operated for Norled for 6 years. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please A leaked dossier has suggested the process of awarding a 97m Scottish ferries contract may have been rigged. MVHebridean Isles, She was removed from service and relieved by Isle of Arran, with Loch Riddon providing additional capacity on the Lochranza - Claonaig route alongside Catriona. CMAL said in a statement that new information contained in the programme would need to be "carefully investigated". Representatives told the programme they became increasingly worried about the growing number of managers being taken on, which they felt undermined long-term competitiveness, with little evidence of progress. SUNK BY CALMAC 'Weather-shy' ferry service could spell ruin for isle seafood firm, risking 100 jobs 2021-04-01 - By John Jeffay . This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Scottish Government-controlled ferry operator Calmac were forced to make moves to provide an emergency ferry from one of Scotlands busiest routes to Mull to serve the stricken islands in the Outer Hebrides. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The workers who saw the ferries saga unfold, Ten things we learned about the ferries fiasco, Mackay accepts role in 'catastrophic' ferries failure, Overdue ferry sets sail for new construction phase, Ferries deal awarded without financial safeguards. In 1976 Western Ferries' fast catamaran, Highland Seabird, had to abandon up-river services to Glasgow from Clyde resorts; even on gentle Clyde, floating timber was a menace. During the period of the summer timetable there is an additional sailing on Friday evenings, leaving Ardrossan at 2030, returning from Brodick at 2140. Back in 2015, the 97m order was seen as a lifeline for Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow - the. A new ferries plan is being promised by the Scottish government by the end of this year. CalMac initially announced a provisional return date of 28th February, but this was later pushed back to 31st March. There are presently ten vessels over 80 metres (260 feet) in length in the CalMac fleet: MV Loch Frisa is a former Norled ferry bought by Caledonian MacBrayne in 2021. On Friday, as MV Isle of Mull was brought in the North Uist Community Pressure Group tweeted that it was hopeful that vital food supplies would arrive. They vary in length from 30.2 to 54.27m (99ft 1in to 178ft 1in). The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 units in operation and another 4 on order. The additional service was provided by MVSaturn from 2005 until 2011, and by MVIsle of Arran from 2012. Motorhomes and caravans banned from standby Scottish ferries [18] Her design allows her to make the crossing in reverse when sea conditions allow.[18]. Michael Beales men were desperate to put last weeks 2-1 Hampden defeat behind them and faced a Kilmarnock side crying out for success on the road. MV Hebrides has been withdrawn from service twice because of issues with its fire suppressant system. A procurement law expert told Disclosure claims of unequal treatment of bidders in tender processes can lead to breaches in EU law and potential legal action from unsuccessful bidders. She is a double-ender ferry with passenger capacity for 195, and capacity for 40 cars, or 4 HGVs. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. We will continue to do our best to balance demand to capacity however, with no spare vessels and limited deployment options, capacity may be reduced on some routes and in some situations, we may need to prioritise essential bookings. "Our dedicated frontline staff will continue to work with local communities to understand and support their priorities. More: Kerevan and his paper attack not a company, but a community. This happened on 4 January 2012, following storm damage to the linkspan at Ardrossan.[6]. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. She is 49.2m (161ft 5in) long, and has capacity for 190 passengers. The average age of the CalMac ferries is almost 24 years and many of the large boats are even older. Another islander Tullula Tia said: "It's shocking. CalMac says its maintenance budget has risen by 67% over the past five years, with a projected spend of 34.2m in 2022. The Wemyss Bay to Rothesay route is operated by two vessels, built in Poland, MVBute (delivered in spring 2005) and MVArgyle, which entered service in 2007. During her repairs, MVHebridean Isles took up service on the Arran crossing, while MVCatriona operated a shuttle service from Claonaig to Lochranza to clear the backlog of traffic unable to board the smaller Hebridean Isles at Ardrossan. The Times reports an equally bleak picture across the CalMac fleet in terms of upkeep and new vessels. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. The cost to the public purse has risen to 2.5 times the original 97m budget - and the first ship won't be handed over to CalMac until the spring of 2023 at the earliest, nearly five years late. [15] The third hybrid ferry, MVCatriona, was launched on 11 December 2015 and entered service on the Claonaig to Lochranza route in September 2016. And it insists it remains on the lookout for suitable second hand boats. They were nicknamed the "streakers", because of their speed and ability to manoeuvre rapidly both at sea and in port. Alas, they are those of his paper. has a calmac ferry ever sunk - fabriquesat.fr CalMac's chairman Dr Harold Mills and chief executive Lawrie Sinclair are identified for wounding, personal criticism. Initially scheduled to return to service on 2nd February,[14] she experienced significant delays during overhaul due to additional steel work and engine repairs being required. These vessels usually operate on longer crossings, with high passenger numbers. The Scottish Liberal Democrats have made a call to recall the Scottish Parliament for an emergency statement over the state of Scotlands ferries following the Heralds reporting of the latest crisis. To qualify for concessionary SPT ferry fares, you must live permanently (or own, and pay council tax, in respect of a 2nd home) on one of the islands covered by the scheme or live on the . In February 2012, Caledonian Isles was in dry-dock to repair damage sustained in a collision with Winton Pier, Ardrossan. Concessions vary according to the local councils. Aft of the entrance there are lounges down either side with toilet blocks, the shop and a bar lounge further towards the stern. The latest ferry route lockdown has sparked serious concerns about islands getting the essentials - with some islands, particularly South Uist reliant on a daily lorry crossing to supply shops. CalMac said it was down to strong winds. The ferry operator said the Inner Hebrides' MV Clansman and Islay's MV Hebridean Isles are out of action due to technical problems and delays have delayed the return of Arran's MV Caledonian Isles from its annual overhaul as the ship has been in dry dock since 9 January. This is all the more puzzling as Dalton interviewed, at length, Lawrie Sinclair only on August 14. Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 21:35, "Costs double on delayed CalMac ferry contract", "Shipyard turnaround is 'most challenging in UK', "Gourock passengers' anger as Arran ferry is given priority", "New Arran Ferry set to launch next June - government confirms", "New Brodick Ferry Terminal Opens To Passengers", "Technical failure causes major disruption to Arran ferry", "CalMac ferry breakdown and five Storm Corrie service suspensions cause disruption", "Ferry out of action for at least three weeks after crash breaks engine", "CalMac sorry for disruption with broken ferries sidelined", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MV_Caledonian_Isles&oldid=1141798879, Main: 2 x Mirrlees Blackstone MB275/8T 2,200kW (2,900hp) each, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 21:35. The 0700 sailing from Ardrossan the following morning is then cancelled. Jim McColl said "with hindsight" having the CalMac document put Ferguson in a strong position. The boost in numbers is good news for the islands in many ways but locals often complain of trouble getting a booking. The issue revolves around the MV Hebrides, one of CalMacs oldest ferries, which was taken out of service on Tuesday for a third time in a matter of weeks because of an issue with its CO2 firefighting system - which is a safety issue. The CalMac ferry scandal - is it more than SNP incompetence? your request. Why doesn't he name them? has a calmac ferry ever sunk The following year his new firm, Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL), won a 97m contract to build two dual fuel LNG vessels for state-owned ferry operator CalMac. Who are those 12 rival ferry-operators? Read about our approach to external linking. One, by ferry operator CalMac, found that a rival bid from a Polish shipyard best met its requirements, while an independent naval architect noted that FMEL's initial design was heavier and less efficient than the others. If you run your business the way Calmac operate ferries, you would go bust a long time ago, because the customers will say you don't are.". It means that Glen Sannox will now be five years late and will not see service till between March and May 2023 at the earliest, while Hull 802 is not due to set sail till between October and December 2023. CMAL may have broken its own rules by allowing Ferguson to go ahead with its bid despite being unable to provide evidence of a builders refund guarantee, a mandatory financial safeguard, Ferguson obtained a 424-page document from a design consultant setting out CalMac's technical requirements, while other bidders had to rely on a more limited 125-page specification. Jim McColl believes the ferries will cost at least 300m and ferry expert Roy Pederson says it would be better to scrap them and start again. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to A replacement programme for seven smaller vessels has begun, and is currently at the "concept design" phase. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. So I buy plenty milk in to last me. There is no standard over 60s ticket, but there are concessions available for islanders in certain areas. The introduction of heavily-subsidised road equivalent tariffs - aligning fares with the cost of road travel - has increased ferry traffic over the past decade, with 5.7m passengers and nearly 1.5m vehicles being carried in 2019 before the pandemic. During Caledonian Isles' absence, she was relieved by Isle of Arran. We are doing this to improve the experience forour loyalreaders and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. Having ship-based crews, it says, provides more robust staffing. The new offer will see teachers getting a 12.3% increase by April 2023 and it will rise to 14% by 2024. Jim McColl confirmed to BBC Disclosure that he first looked into buying Fergusons at least two months before it went bust. CMAL had used the same firm to help draft the tender pack which went to bidders, but has previously told MSPs it saw nothing problematic in this. Two years later tenders went out for two new large ships - one for the Arran route and the other destined for the "Uig triangle", serving Skye, North Uist and Harris. On Friday 22nd April, CalMac announced that Caledonian Isles would remain out of service for at least three weeks whilst undergoing repairs in Troon. John Kerr, a former CalMac technical director who was asked to review some of the leaked documents, was surprised Ferguson was then allowed to submit a revised, far lighter design after the tender deadline, describing it as effectively "a new bid". Announcements that Caledonian MacBrayne ferries have been withdrawn from service for repairs are becoming an increasingly common occurrence. The present MV Clansman is the fifth vessel to carry the name in the CalMac fleet over the years. .''. 48 hour snow warning for Scotland as Met Office predicts an icy start to spring, Don't put your winter woollies away yet! The most recent predecessor was the 1964 built hoist loading ferry.Launched on 27 March 1998 at Appledore Shipbuilders in North Devon, she entered service four months later. The government then appointed a "turnaround director", Tim Hair, who reported it would cost an extra 110m to finish the vessels. The documents indicate that no other bidder was given a similar opportunity to revise its submission so significantly. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself. A 105m order for the next two big ships - for the Islay route - has now been signed with a Turkish shipyard and, if all goes to plan, they should be delivered in 2024/2025. Ferry service getting worse admits Calmac boss - BBC News They have red funnels with black caps that display the Lion Rampant badge with masts in buff. GMB union convener John McMunagle said the concerns were raised at board meetings, where they highlighted that there were "managers everywhere" - but they could not get steelworkers. The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 units in operation and another 4 on order. The former SNP Westminster leader claimed he had not spoken to Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell about the Police Scotland probe into the party's 'missing' 600k. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . The MV Caledonian Isles, which is 29 years old, was out of service for nearly a fortnight in April with engine failure causing capacity problems for Arran, CalMac's busiest ferry route, just when businesses were hoping to see some kind of bounce-back after Covid. At least three runs - Stornoway, Craignure, and Brodick - are notionally profitable. CalMac and CMAL, another government agency which owns the ships and harbours, have a reputation for choosing a certain type of vessel - large, sophisticated mono-hulled ships with capacity for the crew to sleep on board. In April 2015, MVIsle of Arran had problems with her prop shaft which delayed the introduction of her additional Arran summer sailings, leaving Caledonian Isles to carry all the traffic and run additional sailings at night. Then, a temporary repair which satisfied the appropriate authorities gained the ship a short term dispensation to sail. The Scottish government's Transport Scotland agency has long known it needs to renew the CalMac fleet - but those ambitions have foundered, in part at least, due to the Ferguson ferry fiasco. Kerevan does not include in his report quotes from CalMac's managers or officials. Of the 10 largest ferries, four are more than 30 years old and the MV Isle of Arran is 39. MV Hebrides was first removed from service in mid-June due to a problem with its fire-fighting system. Our team, 70% of whom live and work locally, truly understand the impact of this disruption. Ferguson copied a large section of its bid from a CalMac document. [10] MVSaturn last served Dunoon on 29 June 2011, and was then scheduled to operate the summer relief on the Arran crossing. MVHebrides crosses The Minch from Uig, Skye, while MVIsle of Mull, MVIsle of Lewis and MVClansman are based in Oban, serving Mull, Coll, Colonsay, Tiree and the Outer Hebrides. CalMac, the state-owned ferry company, has decided motorhomes, camper vans and caravans will only be allowed on their services if they have a confirmed reservation, in a bid to placate. Sailings are met at Ardrossan Harbour by the ScotRail train service to Glasgow Central. Humza Yousaf 'should be anti-nationalist choice' for First Minister - because he's so useless, The Majority reckons the health secretary will create a 'raging bin fire' for the SNP if he gets the keys to Bute House when the party votes on a new leader, Rangers players rated as dominant first half enough to see off Kilmarnock to close gap on Celtic at top.