Here’s the update from CalMac, received Monday 27th April @15:30:
Good afternoon,
Following attendance by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer), the gearbox issue on MV Hebrides was resolved over the weekend, and the vessel departed Leith yesterday, Sunday 26 April.
During passage, a leak was discovered in the bow visor seal, and the vessel was diverted to Aberdeen for berthing to allow investigations and rectification work. As a result, the vessel will not be ready to return to service before Friday 1 May.
In addition to the issue with the bow visor seal, the vessel is also experiencing an issue with a main engine governor and a mezzanine deck hydraulic leak which will require rectification before the vessel returns to service.
Deployment plans for routes impacted by MV Hebrides’ delay exiting dock have been published up to Wednesday 29 April. To give customers and communities some certainty, we’re now extending these plans until Friday 1 May.
This means:
- MV Clansman remains on Little Minch
- MV Isle of Mull remains on Oban-Coll/Tiree/Colonsay
- MV Coruisk remains on Oban-Craignure alongside MV Loch Frisa
- Passenger charters remain in place on Mallaig-Armadale.
Apologies for this ongoing delay to your service. The port teams are working hard to minimise disruption and to keep vital goods and services moving. I will share a further update as soon as I have it.