MV Hebrides – which was involved in an incident on North Uist on Sunday – successfully sailed from Lochmaddy harbour shortly after 3pm today.

She will now undertake the passage from the Western Isles to the Clyde under her own power and will enter dry dock in Greenock at the weekend.

Her move frees up the linkspan at Lochmaddy and later today MV Clansman will be the first vessel to dock at the port since Sunday when she berths at 6pm.

She will be closely followed by MV Isle of Lewis at 7.10pm. Both ships will help to ease the backlog of traffic, particularly freight. MV Isle of Lewis will also drop off and embark lifeline loads for Barra which, due to some sustained adverse weather, has had sailings cancelled this week.

Tomorrow, with MV Clansman completing her move north to Tarbert on Harris and MV Lord of the Isles transferring to Oban, the full Tarbert, Uig and Lochmaddy triangle service will resume as normal. In addition to the full triangle timetable, there will be an additional Lochmaddy to Uig return sailing, leaving Lochmaddy at 2005 and arriving Uig 2150, before departing 2210 and arriving back at North Uist at 2355. MV Clansman’s usual routes to Coll, Tiree and Colonsay will be covered by MV Lord of the Isles.

These contingencies will remain in place for at least a week. Passengers are advised to check CalMac’s website at www.calmac.co.uk and the company’s social media channels regularly for updates.

Researchers from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen will host a photo exhibition at Benbecula Airport from 4th to 8th October 2016 in order to gather opinion on the social and cultural importance of the airport to the local community.

 Photos from the exhibition, which will feature both historical and more recent images of Benbecula Airport, will be used to invite participants to share their memories and stories of the airport with Aberdeen Business School researchers Dr Graeme Baxter and Lyndsay Bloice.

Benbecula Airport, which currently operates passenger flights to Glasgow and Stornoway, has a long military history. A Royal Air Force base was established there in World War Two and in the 1950s – during the Cold War – the airfield became the control centre for Hebrides Range.

 The event is part of a larger research project with European funding on the importance of small airports.

SPARA 2020 (Smart Peripheral and Remote Airports) brings together partners from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Australia in order to deliver increased innovation within the public service provision of airports.

Lyndsay Bloice said: “We are looking at the social and cultural importance of small, remote airports to their local communities and will be studying small airports across Northern Europe, in Scotland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.

“We’re looking forward to hosting the exhibition and hearing from the local community about their memories of Benbecula Airport and their thoughts on the part the airport plays in their everyday lives.”

The exhibition at Benbecula is one in a series of similar events. Previous exhibitions, held in Kirkwall Airport in Orkney, Donegal Airport in Ireland, Sundsvall Timrå Airport in Sweden, and on the Isle of Skye, have drawn hundreds of participants who have shared their memories and thoughts on current services.

For more information about the research, or to register interest in being interviewed, please contact Lyndsay Bloice (01224 263 991) or Dr Graeme Baxter (01224 263 889).

Photograph: Benbecula Airport pictured during the Second World War (© Crown Copyright: IWM)

If weather conditions allow, MV Hebrides will move from Lochmaddy tomorrow (Thursday 29th September) and begin her journey to Greenock where she will enter dry dock at the end of the week.

Poor  conditions over the last two days have caused disruptions all over the CalMac network, including sailings between Castlebay and Oban.

In order to overcome the backlog of freight and passengers and to maintain CalMac’s lifeline commitments in Barra, MV Isle of Lewis will sail north to Uig on Skye on Thursday, where she will disembark Barra traffic, before making a return journey to Lochmaddy. This should clear the majority of the Uist freight backlog which has accumulated and will ease the strain at both sides of the Minch. MV Isle of Lewis, on return to Uig, will then embark traffic for the Isle of Barra, before making her way back south to Castlebay.

In the meantime – also on Thursday – MV Clansman is to transfer to the Skye/North Uist/Harris triangular service and will pick up the regular three-way timetable on Friday (30th September) returning the route to normal.

MV Lord of the Isles, which has delivered an emergency interim service to keep Uist connected to the mainland, despite adverse weather conditions, will transfer to Oban tomorrow (Thursday 29th September) to take up MV Clansman’s routes to Coll, Tiree and Colonsay on Friday.

This does mean that there will be a temporary loss of MV Lord of the Isles on the dedicated Lochboisdale to Mallaig route, as well as a decrease in capacity on the run from Mallaig to Armadale, Isle of Skye. However, the latter service will continue to operate, although it will be affected by some tidal restrictions.

“It is hoped that these contingencies, which will be in place for at least a week,  will provide a robust and sustainable service until MV Hebrides is available to return to her usual place within the network,” said CalMac’s Operations Director Drew Collier.

“We know that there will be some people who are disappointed with our choices, but we believe there is an overwhelming majority who will welcome these as sensible, considered and fitting decisions. The capacity afforded by MV Clansman, MV Hebrides’ sister ship, should keep Uist’s traffic on an even keel, particularly as we are past the peak season, despite the temporary loss of the Lochboisdale service.

“For Coll, Tiree and Colonsay, MV Lord of the Isles is an already familiar vessel, having served these routes well for many years. Our crews and port staff have worked tirelessly with us on these contingencies and are as much a part of the choices, based on their exceptional knowledge of the network and our communities. We offer genuine thanks to both them and all our passengers who have been so patient. Full details of these timetabling changes can be found on our website and customers are advised to check carefully and regularly.”

All updates can be found at www.calmac.co.uk and on the company’s social media channels.

MV Hebrides – which was involved in an incident at Lochmaddy Harbour at the weekend due to a mechanical failure – is to head to dry dock in Greenock for repairs.

MV Hebrides ferry sustained damage to the starboard propeller shaft after chains from Lochmaddy Marina’s pontoon became entangled during the incident.

Diving inspections indicate that there has been some low-level hull damage amounting to non-serious bumps and abrasions, which could be expected from contact with the seabed – the hull is intact and there is no water ingress.

Weather permitting, it is hoped MV Hebrides will shortly begin the journey to Greenock under her own power. However, forecasts have warned of severe gales. For safety considerations, the journey will be done in stages and it is planned that she will enter dry dock at Greenock at the end of the week.

Assuming MV Hebrides has been able to begin her journey as planned, MV Lord of the Isles will reposition to Uig on Skye (see timetable for Thursday below).

Sailings for Friday and Saturday will be confirmed in due course. Please check the CalMac website at www.calmac.co.uk for updates.

Passengers who would normally travel from Tarbert, Harris to Uig are being kindly requested to use the Stornoway to Ullapool route. The overnight freight service on MV Loch Seaforth on the Stornoway to Ullapool route is also being made available to all customers.

Due to forecast bad weather tomorrow (Wednesday 28th September), MV Lord of the Isles will make only a single return journey departing Lochboisdale at 0630, arriving Mallaig 1000, before departing again for South Uist at 1015, arriving at 1345.

As per above provisos, MV Lord of the Isles‘s Thursday timetable is as follows:

Depart Lochboisdale 1100
Arrive Uig 1415

Depart Uig 1445
Arrive Lochmaddy 1640

Depart Lochmaddy 1710
Arrive Uig 1905

Depart Uig 1930
Arrive Lochmaddy 2125

An additional sailing on the Sound of Harris run will continue until Saturday 1st October, leaving Berneray at 0945 and Leverburgh at 1055.

Details of Friday and Saturday timetables, as well as any further contingencies and timetabling from Sunday onwards will be made available in further updates in due course.

“We are aware that our customers are experiencing significant inconvenience during this time and we apologise for this,” said Drew Collier, CalMac’s Operations Director.

“Our priority is to safely move Hebrides to Greenock for repairs at the earliest available weather window and to ensure that our passengers are well-informed about the contingencies we have put in place and able to plan with a degree of certainty. The weather, however, is a variable beyond our control and there may be further amendments.

“We have been consulting with hauliers to see whether the movement of non-urgent loads can be delayed, allowing us to increase other vehicle capacity and we appreciate their help in this. We understand the situation is frustrating and also that our plans will impact other areas of the network. Please be assured, though, that these plans are being pulled together with all factors being taken into consideration.”

The company continues to advise passengers to regularly check for the latest details and timetable updates on the CalMac website at www.calmac.co.uk and also to seek updates on its social media channels.

Save

Save

With winds forecast to gust up to 60 knots over the next two days, ferry operator CalMac has issued its first weather warning of the season.

Widespread disruption is forecast to services up and down the west coast as high winds are likely to place restrictions on sailings.

‘There is a high likelihood that services will experience weather related disruption across the Clyde and Hebrides routes this week with the worst of the weather due to hit Tuesday and Wednesday. People should look at the forecast carefully before travelling and check their arrangements if they plan to travel with us,” said CalMac’s operations director, Drew Collier.

“Our website and our social media feeds have the very latest information on what is running and when. We may well amend timetables to work round the worst of the weather to keep routes running, so I would urge people to double check with us before setting off on their journey.’

Latest information available at www.calmac.co.uk and @calmac_updates on twitter.

Caledonian MacBrayne says it is continuing to form contingency plans in the wake of an incident involving MV Hebrides at Lochmaddy yesterday (Sunday 25th September).

As the ferry was on a routine approach to Lochmaddy pier after travelling from Tarbert yesterday morning, a technical failure led to an inability to decrease speed commensurate with the normal berthing procedure.

MV Hebrides struck pontoons at Lochmaddy Marina and made contact with rocks on the seabed as she came to a halt. No one was injured and the vessel berthed under her own power at the pier in Lochmaddy, where she remains tied.

A team of divers is on site at Lochmaddy today and has begun thorough investigations of the hull below the waterline. Appropriate action will then be taken based on the outcome of these investigations. The company is also working with the Lochmaddy Marina owners regarding the damage to the pontoons.

Caledonian MacBrayne has underlined its excellent safety record and noted that incidents of this nature are incredibly rare. CalMac makes more then 135,000 individual sailings per annum, which is the equivalent of berthing or unberthing a vessel every five-10 minutes.

MV Lord of the Isles is undertaking two return sailings today (Monday 26th September) on the Lochboisdale-Mallaig route, to ease some of the disruption and an additional return sailing was also added to the Berneray-Leverburgh route.

This contingency timetable will continue unchanged tomorrow – see the CalMac website for details.

However, passengers should note that weather forecasts are predicting high winds during the next 48 hours, which is highly likely to cause disruption or cancellations.

Further updates about services for the remainder of the week will follow as confirmed information becomes available.

Disruption to this route will continue for some time – with investigations still underway it is too early to accurately predict duration. CalMac is working closely with all appropriate authorities.

“Our teams are continuing to work directly with passengers affected in order to find the best solutions for them,” said CalMac’s Operations Director Drew Collier.

“This was a very rare incident. We have a proud and excellent safety record, and I would like to assure all customers and the public as a whole that safety is the number one priority for the company. We thank people for their forbearance and understanding at this time.”

Customers should continue to regularly check CalMac’s website at www.calmac.co.uk and the company’s social media channels for updates.

Save