Improvements to Clyde and Hebrides ferries proposed

Services to and from Oban are among those listed for planned improvements

An enhanced timetable has been proposed for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services network from next summer, the transport minister has announced.

Derek Mackay said the planned improvements would help to deliver commitments made in the Scottish government's ferries plan.

A daily direct return service between Oban and Barra with a dedicated ship has been proposed.

There would also be 10% more sailings on the Mallaig to Armadale route.

Other planned improvements include a daily direct return service between Lochboisdale and Mallaig using a dedicated ferry.

An additional 50 weekly sailings on the Oban to Craignure route, with other vessels supplementing the ferry MV Isle of Mull, have been proposed.

The government said this would make Oban a commutable destination from Mull for the first time.

Another of the plans is a 30% increase in capacity on services to Coll, Tiree and Colonsay.

CalMac said it had listened to its customers

Mr Mackay said: "Since taking up my post I have spoken to stakeholders throughout the network, from councils to ferry users groups, to see if changes can be made to ensure our ferry services continue to deliver the best possible service.

"This enhanced timetable offers a number of improvements: proposals include increasing capacity on certain services, offering more sailings and reorganising vessel deployment to get the most from our ferry fleet."

Drew Collier, director of operations at ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne, said: "Listening to our customers is central to the service we provide.

"This enhanced timetable answers many of the questions we have been getting asked about how we could better tailor our services to suit the needs of the communities we serve.

"The two-vessel service on the Oban-Craignure route, serving Mull, will balance off the additional capacity issues we would expect due to Road Equivalent Tariff fares being introduced on this service."

Job security

CalMac faces competition from Serco Caledonian Ferries Limited for the next contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides network for up to another eight years.

Serco and CalMac have been asked to submit their final tenders in December, with a view to awarding the contract in May 2016.

The process to award the new contract has been the source of a dispute between trade unions and CalMac and the Scottish government.

In July, following earlier industrial action by members of the RMT and TSSA, an agreement was reached in the row over job security and workers' pensions and conditions.