Further delay to return of Arran's troubled main ferry

MV Caledonian Isles

A ferry that has been out of action for nine months due to a string of repairs will not return until at least mid-November, CalMac has said.

MV Caledonian Isles usually operates on Arran's Ardrossan-Brodick route, but has been out of service since January when significant repairs had to be carried out.

It was due to return in September but a new gearbox fault was detected, prompting the latest delay.

CalMac has extended a temporary plan to cover routes, but warned its imminent annual maintenance schedule would see boats unavailable for a record periods of time.

The plan has included restoring a previous cancelled service to and from South Uist.

'Perfect storm' for ferries

During the original overhaul of the Caledonian Isles, all four of its engines had to be removed.

It was originally thought the gearbox issue would take 10 days to fix, but will now take almost two months.

CalMac's interim chief executive Duncan Mackison said the ferry operator had anticipated a difficult winter and it was "shaping up to be just that".

He said: "The combination of MV Caledonian Isles ongoing technical issues and the start of this year’s maintenance window has created a perfect storm for ferry services."

CalMac said it was likely to hold regular reviews of where vessels are deployed.

Mr Mackinson said: "Our priority is to keep communities on the network informed of our plans, and meet service demands wherever we can.

"However, it is in inevitable there will be some disruption and on behalf of CalMac I apologise for that."

The first of four new ferries being built in Turkey has also been further delayed.

MV Isle of Islay had been expected to be delivered in mid October, but that date has been pushed back to mid February after previously being delayed until the end of this year.