Harris Archives - Am Paipear

Isles presbyteries sign pioneering ‘Tarbert Declaration’

December 13, 2016

Two presbyteries of the Church of Scotland have come together to sign the ‘Tarbert Declaration’, a commitment to fellowship together, to work together and to share resources in areas of common interest.

For some time the Presbytery of Lewis (covering the Isle of Lewis) and the Presbytery of Uist (covering Harris, North Uist and Benbecula) have been discussing a closer association, and now the ‘Tarbert Declaration’ formalises a closer cooperation between the two presbyteries.

First introduced into the Church of Scotland in 1579, the concept of presbytery was then a forum for the spiritual development of its members, through reflection on God’s Word and fellowship.

Nowadays the presbytery is the governing body of ministers and elders, responsible for a number of congregations over a particular region. Altogether there are 45 presbyteries in the Church of Scotland, including the Presbytery of England and the Presbytery of Europe.

Recognising the tendency for modern presbyteries to become purely administrative agencies, the ‘Tarbert Declaration’ seeks to recover the idea of fellowship and spiritual nourishment while providing a mechanism for the Presbyteries of Lewis and Uist to share resources in the discharge of key functions such as the statutory appraisal of local congregations, safeguarding provision and Data Protection implementation.

Under the ‘Tarbert Declaration, the two presbyteries will meet together once a year with a clear focus on fellowship and spiritual nourishment while the day to day business of both presbyteries will benefit from a pooling of resources and access to a wider range of expertise. This innovative approach – pioneered in the Western Isles – could serve as a blueprint for the wider Church as the General Assembly encourages presbyteries across Scotland to cooperate to a greater extent than they have in the past.

Moderators of both presbyteries signed the Tarbert Declaration during a special service in Tarbert Church of Scotland, Harris, on Saturday 10th December 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH: Left to right: John Cunningham (Clerk to Lewis Presbytery), Rev Dr David Donaldson (Moderator of Uist Presbytery), Rev Dr Ben Johnstone (Moderator of Lewis Presbytery), Wilson McKinlay (Clerk to Uist Presytery) signing the ‘Tarbert Declaration’.

First steel cut on new North Uist ferry

February 16, 2016

Visualisation of one of the new vessels. Photo – CMAL

Minister for Transport and Islands, Derek MacKay, has marked the formal start of construction of two new 100-metre ferries for the Clyde and Hebrides network at Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL) on the Clyde.

Mr Mackay started the computer-guided laser to cut the ceremonial first steel for the vessels, currently known as Hull 801 and Hull 802, and met some of the workforce who will help build them.

One of the new 100-metre vessels (pictured) will service the North Uist – Skye – Harris triangle route.

A £97 million contract for the construction of the ferries was signed in October 2015, securing around 150 existing jobs in the Port Glasgow and Inverclyde area. New jobs will also be created at the shipyard as a result of FMEL winning the contract, as part of the company’s overall growth strategy.

FMEL will undertake the detailed design and construction work of the new ‘dual fuel’ vessels in Scotland, as well as their testing, equipping, launching and delivery. The new vessels will join the fleet, owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL).

CMAL representatives discussed the design of the new ferries with members of the community from North Uist and Benbecula earlier this month. The first is expected to be delivered in May 2018, with the second vessel following a few months later.

Mr Mackay said: “I’m delighted to help cut the first steel for these new ferries, marking the start of construction on this massive project that has brought large shipbuilding back to the Clyde.

“The Scottish Government is committed to creating the vital jobs needed to boost local economies and help stimulate growth across Scotland. This £97 million contract means FMEL can retain its 150-strong workforce, as well as take on more staff and apprentices.

“The ferries themselves will be welcome additions to the Clyde and Hebrides network, helping the Scottish Government to continue to provide safe and reliable services for the communities that depend on them.

“The vessels will also be ‘dual-fuel ferries’, allowing them to use cleaner fuel and future-proofing them for the advent of tighter regulations around sulphur emissions.

“I look forward to seeing these new ferries join the West Coast ferry fleet in the future.”

FMEL Managing Director, Liam Campbell said: “Cutting first steel on these two vessels from CMAL signifies an important milestone for the yard and will allow the workforce to steadily grow over the next years. Our new facility will provide highly efficient state-of-the-art shipbuilding and fabrication services to customers in all sectors.

“We look forward to working closely with CMAL and CalMac on this project to ensure world class vessels for a world class owner and operator”.

Erik Østergaard, Chair of CMAL said: “Today’s steel cutting ceremony marks the first important milestone in the construction of these innovative dual-fuel ferries, as work gets underway to build the first vessel.

“Hulls 801 and 802 will become the latest vessels in our fleet and strengthen our commitment to using cutting edge technology and design to create sustainable and reliable ferries and we look forward to the first of these vessels going into service in 2018. This construction project is the latest step in our ambitious fleet renewal plans to ensure our ferries continue to meet the needs of the communities we serve.”

Safety evacuation system upgrade for MV Loch Portain

February 10, 2016

MV Loch Portain in dry dock.

A new-state-of-the-art life saving system is being fitted to MV Loch Portain during its annual refit this year.

The new Maritime Evacuation System (MES) will be obvious to regular passengers as it is located on the passenger deck rather than car deck.

The new equipment will significantly speed up the vessel’s evacuation in the event of an emergency.

CalMac’s director of operations, Drew Collier said: “Safety is our number one priority and we are anxious to fit the most up to date safety equipment on the market within our vessels. This new MES system can give passengers and crew the reassurances that they can rely on the most technically advanced system available in the unlikely event of an emergency.”

Alongside the safety upgrade and general servicing and the Loch Portain is also being fitted with a new passenger lift from the car deck to the upper decks improving accessibility throughout the vessel. The work is being carried out at Cammell Laird in Liverpool.

MV Loch Bhrusda is filling in for the vessel on its regular Berneray to Leverburgh route until its return to service at the end of February.

The replacement vessel has a smaller vehicle capacity and although the crossing is less busy at this time of year, passengers are urged to book well ahead if possible.

“The winter annual refit period is always a challenge for us as we do not have like-for-like replacements for every ship and we have to find a way of maintaining services with the resources available to us,” added Mr Collier.

“The upgrade work to the Loch Portain means it is off-route longer than usual and we thank people for their patience while this improvement work is done. I’m sure passengers will notice a difference to their sailing experience particularly with the new lift being installed when the vessel returns.”

Check sailing availability on the route at www.calmac.co.uk

CalMac looking at ways to minimise Sound of Harris disruption

June 9, 2015

CalMac has said it is looking at a range of options to minimise disruption while Sound of Harris ferry MV Loch Portain is away for a week for maintenance work.

Angus MacNeil MP had earlier raised that passengers were unable to book on the Berneray-Harris service after 13th June (click here for details).

However, a CalMac spokesperson explained: “MV Loch Portain is now subject to a more stringent legislative regime that requires us to update certain safety systems. This means it will be off the Berneray-Leverburgh route for one week from 13th June and will be replaced by the MV Loch Bhrusda.

“This is a slightly smaller vessel, so to provide a seamless service and avoid any potential disruption, we are looking at ways of enhancing this service temporarily to cope with anticipated demand.

“This may include extra daily sailings on the crossing or involve the MV Isle of Lewis running an additional daily service between Tarbert and Lochmaddy.

“We will keep customers fully updated once final cover arrangements for the route have been made.”

MacNeil writes to CalMac to clarify Sound of Harris situation

June 9, 2015

Angus Brendan MacNeil MP has written to Martin Dorchester, Managing Director of Caledonian MacBrayne, to ask for clarification surrounding the Sound of Harris ferry.

Mr MacNeil has been contacted by a constituent who has been unable to make a booking on the Sound of Harris route from Saturday 13th June.

Commenting Mr MacNeil said: “CalMac is currently not accepting bookings for the Berneray to Leverburgh route. Having checked the CalMac website, all sailings on the Sound of Harris route are listed as ‘not available’ from Saturday 13th June.

“No other information is given on the website, however, I have been told that this may be due to a temporary change in vessel, in the meantime people are being left ‘high and dry’.

“This route is often subject to tidal restrictions which reduces the number of sailings, CalMac need to clarify why they are not accepting bookings and they must also ensure that any changes to the vessel does not lead to a further reduction in the carrying capacity.

“I am also writing to MCA to ask if they have added further restrictions to the Sound of Harris and if so why.”

Road surface dressing programme to get underway

April 21, 2015

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s 2015 roads surface dressing programme is commencing on 11th May, with two weeks of work in the Barra and Uist area.

It is expected that the mobile works will then transfer to Harris on or around 25th May for an approximate one or two week period, after which works will transfer to Lewis for a further two or three week period. All works are weather dependent and may be subject to delays and alteration.

Most areas of the Western Isles will be affected by the works.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar would like to thank the public for their continued patience and cooperation during this period and are advised to take notice of all signage, speed limits and traffic management on the sites. The travelling public are encouraged to heed the temporary speed limits through the sites and have due consideration for vehicles travelling in the opposite direction.

MV Finlaggan aids cut off Harris residents

January 13, 2015

Caledonian MacBrayne’s MV Finlaggan came to the assistance of the community on the Isle of Harris at the weekend.

On Sunday, the island had been without power for approaching 48 hours.

Opening up her gangway to members of the community from 4-8pm, the Master, Barry Scott, and his crew of MV Finlaggan welcomed approximately 50 local residents on board and provided hot drinks and filled rolls, as well as offering them the chance to take a shower.

Some who were aboard took hot water and food back to those who could not venture out, and also took the opportunity to re-charge mobile devices in case the telephone network was restored.

Meanwhile, the ship’s Chief Engineer and 2nd Engineer were able to apply their technical expertise at a local hotel, wiring an emergency generator to supply power.

“The Master and crew of MV Finlaggan were pleased to be able to support the relief efforts,” said duty operations manager Finlay MacRae.

“A hot drink, some food and a shower hopefully provided some respite, and thanks, too, to our engineering colleagues from Finlaggan, whose assistance in connecting a generator helped the pierside hotel to assist with relief efforts for the wider community.”

Isles presbyteries sign pioneering ‘Tarbert Declaration’

First steel cut on new North Uist ferry

Safety evacuation system upgrade for MV Loch Portain

CalMac looking at ways to minimise Sound of Harris disruption

MacNeil writes to CalMac to clarify Sound of Harris situation

Road surface dressing programme to get underway

MV Finlaggan aids cut off Harris residents

SEARCH

DEADLINES

ADVERTISE

CONTACT US