CalMac ferry MV Hebridean Isles fixed after 10 months of repairs

Hebridean Isles, seen here in Greenock, has been out of action since February

One of CalMac's oldest ferries has returned to service after 10 months of repairs to fix the ship.

MV Hebridean Isles, which has provided relief services for routes while other ships are undergoing maintenance, was hit by a number of faults in January.

Six attempts to resolve problems with its propeller controls failed before a last-ditch effort succeeded.

The 38-year-old ship is the second oldest of CalMac's large vessels and some feared it might be scrapped.

• Repairs hope for one of CalMac's oldest ferries

Unsuccessful attempts had been made to fix its problems at Greenock, Ayr, Troon and Birkenhead before the ship went into dry dock in Aberdeen in August.

Engineers remedied the faults with its variable pitch propeller by sending a "push pull rod" and "tail shaft" to a specialist machining company in Denmark. The total repair bill is about £2.5m.

Uncertainty over the future MV Hebridean Isles has been a major worry for CalMac, which is struggling to maintain an ageing fleet following delays in vessel replacement.

MV Hebridean Isles, in dry dock in Troon earlier this year

Meanwhile, gearbox problems with the catamaran MV Alfred have also been remedied, meaning it may be redeployed on the CalMac network.

MV Alfred has been chartered from Pentland Ferries as a relief vessel at a cost of £1m per month. It will be used for freight services to and from Stornoway from Wednesday if berthing trials are successful.

It had previously been operating on the Arran route but was out of action since late September.

If MV Alfred is able to take over the the Stornoway-Ullapool route later this week, MV Hebridean Isles is expected to be redeployed to Islay to provide extra sailings until it has its annual overhaul on 10 November.

CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond said: "Our commitment to serving island communities relies on the availability and reliability of our fleet, and losing the large vessel, MV Hebridean Isles, from service by retiring her early would have had a significant impact on our capacity to serve communities with the ferry links they deserve.

"Our maintenance costs have soared in recent years and investment has never been higher as we await six major and 10 smaller vessels coming into service."