London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Challenging two years ahead for ferry services - CalMac

Challenging two years ahead for ferry services - CalMac

Ferry operator CalMac has warned the next two years will be "challenging" for residents of Scotland's islands due to the age of its fleet.

Chief executive Robbie Drummond also apologised to residents of Arran for recent disruption to services.

Mr Drummond said a shortage of spare vessels was also driving disruption.

A third of CalMac's ferries are more than 30 years old, and almost half the largest ships are beyond their expected service life.

Issues with three ferries have resulted in disruption across the company's west coast network.

Delays hit the return of Arran's MV Caledonian Isles from its annual overhaul. It has been in dry dock since 9 January.

The Inner Hebrides' MV Clansman and Islay's MV Hebridean Isles are also out of action due to technical problems.

This has led to delays to routine overhauls of other ferries in the state-owned ferry operator's fleet.

Mr Drummond told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show: "I'm sorry, again, for the folk in Arran and indeed across our network.

"We work incredibly hard to bring these ferries back into service, but the next one to two years will be challenging, until we see those new vessels coming into play."

Two new ferries are being built at Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow but these have suffered serious delays.

The first ship Glen Sannox is due for delivery in the spring, which will be five years late.

Contracts for four other large ferries have been awarded to a shipyard in Turkey, but the first of these is not expected until late 2024.


After the Ferguson Marine ferries are delivered, Mr Drummond said it would give the fleet a spare vessel to cover any ferry out of service or periods of higher demand.

Mr Drummond added: "The challenge is simply one of lack of investment. If you go back over the last 10 to 15 years, we've not had that level of investment in new ferries coming.

"On the positive side, that investment is now there."

Transport Scotland said that ferry services have faced challenges due to bad weather and technical issues, adding that CalMac and its parent company CMAL prioritised deliveries of food and other essentials during the disruption.

A spokesman said last week: "We recognise that every cancelled sailing can have a significant impact and continue to work with operators and CMAL to improve reliability and resilience across our networks."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×