CalMac have today confirmed what we have been hoping for a long time – that earlier plans to retire the MV Isle of Mull at the end of this year have been cancelled. Instead, the IOM will remain in the fleet until new-build vessels are delivered – currently estimated to be 2031. In order to help her last until then (by which time she will be 42) the ship will be benefitting from “significant investment works intended to maintain the vessel’s reliability and resilience”.
We had firmly argued against the deployment of the Caledonian Isles (and other vessels) to the Craignure – Oban route, because of longer turn-around times, poor PAS fit (in Oban as well as Craignure) and reduced vehicle capacities. Our fear was that having spent around £12 million renewing large parts of the Caledonian Isles’ hull (and associated works) in 2024/25, CalMac and Transport Scotland would have been keen to keep her in operation by moving her to Mull. Instead, the Cale Isles will be disposed of (sold if a buyer can be found, scrapped if not), along with the Isle of Arran and Isle of Lewis.
The full CalMac paper regarding all of this can be read below.
Calmac should hang onto the Isle of Mull, Isle of Arran and Isle of Lewis ferries as long as possible.
The MV Isle of Islay which was built in Turkey was removed from service for two weeks at the end of July 2026 to undergo 150 warranty repairs and returned back into service with both the mezzanine decks bust. These mezzanine decks will not be repaired until the MV Isle of Islay gets its annual overhaul in early February 2027.
Meanwhile the MV Lochindaal ferry also being built in Turkey is over year late and counting in going into service on a Calmac route, hopefully not on the Kennacraig to Islay route thanks to the MCA bosses changing the rules for the transportation of Dangerous Goods on the MV Isle of Islay and MV Lochindaal plus every new Calmac ferry being built in the Turkish shipyard.
The overhaul season is just starting and already we have the start of a mess ! There are 2 vessels sitting in Stornoway , Isle of Lewis and Sannox , could Sannox not have run the Ullapool route until until Isle of Arran was available to start the cover cascade ? To crown it off Lewis has a broken mez deck needing repair.