Next one or two years will be challenging, ferry chief warns islanders

The head of Scotland’s national ferry operator has warned islanders the next one or two years “will be challenging” due to the age of the country’s fleet.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond apologised to residents of Arran for recent disruption to ferry services after resident and tourism business owner Ailsa Curran told the programme that ferries in recent years have “gone downhill”.

There are currently four ferries being built in Turkey, along with the Glen Sannox and the as-yet-unnamed hull 802, which have faced major delays and cost overruns during construction at the government-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow.

The delayed ferries are due to be in service in May of this year and January of 2024, respectively.

But before the new vessels arrive, the aging fleet is likely to see further disruption, Mr Drummond suggested.

“I’m sorry, again, for the folk in Arran and indeed across our network. We work incredibly hard to bring these ferries back into service, but the next one to two years will be challenging, until we see those new vessels coming into play,” he said.

But he assured passengers and islanders that “everyone at CalMac is absolutely focused on delivering the best service we can”.

After the vessels from Ferguson Marine are delivered, Mr Drummond said, that would allow the fleet to have a spare ferry that can be used in case of technical problems or periods of higher demand.

Mr Drummond said a combination of an aging fleet and having no spare vessels is driving disruption to island communities.

“The challenge is simply one of lack of investment. If you go back over the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve not had that level of investment in new ferries coming,” he said.

“On the positive side, that investment is now there.”