Second-hand ferry deal to boost CalMac network

A second-hand ferry has been bought from Norway in a £9m deal to boost Scotland's fleet.

The MV Utne has been earmarked for CalMac sailings between Oban and the island of Mull from 2022.

It is currently owned by Norwegian shipping firm Norled, where it has been in operation for the past five years.

The vessel is due to be transferred to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) at the end of October.

Communities in Skye and the Western Isles are expected to benefit as it will allow vessels to be moved elsewhere on the west coast network.

The 50m (54 yards) long vessel was built in 2014 and will accommodate 195 passengers and 34 cars.

CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs said the search for a suitable second-hand vessel had been "long and challenging".

"We've experienced a few false starts, but we are glad to bring this much-needed second-hand tonnage to the fleet to provide the operator, CalMac, with some resilience.

"MV Utne has been operating successfully, with a fully compliant passenger certificate from the Norwegian Maritime Board.

"The vessel has operated for five years in Norwegian waters and that offers us confidence in its compliance, safety and operability."

The total cost of buying the ferry and completing modifications is around £9m.

It is expected to enter service with CalMac for the summer 2022 timetable after modification work and staff training is complete.

CalMac's managing director Robbie Drummond said MV Utne was an "extremely welcome" addition that would bring much-needed resilience to its network.

The ferry operator runs more than 30 boats to over 50 ports and harbours, which are located in the Western Isles, Inner Hebrides, Highlands, Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute.

CalMac's west coast network has been hit by a series of cancellations this year, with vessels undergoing repair and sailings disrupted due to staff pressures during the Covid pandemic.

Following the relaxation of Covid rules earlier this year passenger numbers rebounded to almost the record levels seen in 2019.

Minister for Transport Graeme Dey said: "We have always said we would look to the second-hand market for additional vessels to support our island communities, and this purchase is the result of this ongoing work.

"The Scottish government has committed £580m to fund new ferries and port investments over the next five years. We continue to work with CMAL and CalMac to develop potential programmes that will deliver additional improvements to the network."

The MV Utne purchase comes after Ferguson shipyard missed out on an order to build two new CalMac ferries last month.

The nationalised yard in Port Glasgow failed to make the shortlist to replace ships on the Islay route. The four shipyards submitting detailed tenders are based in Poland, Romania and Turkey.

Scottish Labour criticised the MV Utne deal, saying the Scottish government had "resorted to buying other country's cast offs".

Party transport spokesperson Neil Bibby said "The SNP are desperately scrambling about trying to fix the mess they've made of our ferries, and now they expect plaudits for doing the bare minimum to try and keep the chaos at bay.

"If the SNP had a shred of strategic thinking behind their ferries plan, we could have had a modern ferry fleet being built at Scottish yards and serving Scottish islands."