Calls for delay to busy ferry port disruption

Work on the ferry pier at Uig is due to start in October

The Scottish government is considering whether to delay the redevelopment of a busy ferry port on Skye.

Some islanders are worried the planned upgrade of Uig pier could have a major impact on Uist and Harris when ferry services are suspended in October.

Under the plan, there would be no ferries between Harris and Skye for the six months of the redevelopment.

North Uist would be served by a temporary service but the ferry would be sailing from Ullapool, and its carrying capacity would be reduced by a third.

Western Isles SNP MSP Alasdair Allan has called for the work at Uig to be delayed until a better solution can be found.

Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Nicola Sturgeon said this was one of the options being looked at by the government.

About 5,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the redevelopment to be delayed.

Uig provides Harris with its only direct ferry service to the mainland, and is one of only two routes out of Uist.

West coast ferry operator CalMac held a series of events in early April in the communities affected to discuss how services could be maintained.

Highland Council, the local authority for Skye, said the work was needed to replace parts of the pier that had come to the end of their life and to make improvements to the structure.

The work is also needed to accommodate a new large ferry, currently known as hull 802, which is still under construction at Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow.

Although construction of the ship is running five years late, the new ferry is currently due for delivery to CalMac in late 2023. There are also plans to build an LNG refuelling facility for the ship at Uig.

The council said winter was a quieter time in terms of ferry traffic and the six month closure allowed for delays to the work caused by bad weather.

It said it would work closely with the contractor to try to reduce the length of time the pier was closed.