news

The new Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne, Mr Peter Timms, took up his duties on Tuesday 1^st August having served as a non-executive director of the company since 2000.

Mr Timms, who lives on the Island of Bute, succeeds Dr Harold Mills whose tenure ended on Monday 31^st July. He will be Chairman for a period of three years, demitting Office on 31^st July 2009.

CalMac has marked the end of an era with the publication of a new book, which updates the record of the ships operating the company’s lifeline services on the west coast of Scotland.

In his forward to the new book “ CalMac Ferries”, Dr Mills has described the publication as a “snapshot of the fleet at the end of an era”.

The book, which costs £5.95, will be available from CalMac on their website, port offices, and on the ships.

The publication of the book not only coincides with the end of Dr Mills’ tenure as Chairman, but was also published on the day that the Scottish Executive issued invitations to tender to three companies interested in the running of the Gourock to Dunoon service, presently run by CalMac.

CLIPPER ADVENTURER Loch Ewe 4^th, Rhum 10^th, Stornoway 13^th, Iona/Staffa 15^th, Campbeltown 17^th then to Troon.

HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS Oban/Colonsay 1^st, Tiree 2^nd, Muck 3^rd, Castlebay 4^th, Loch Scavaig 5^th, Tobermory 6^th, Oban 08.00 – 19.00 7^th, Eigg 8^th, Shiant Isles/Tarbert 9^th, Castlebay 10^th, Muck 11^th, Iona 12^th, Colonsay 13^th, Oban 08.00 – 19.00 14^th, Loch Torridon 15^th, Gairloch 16^th, Ullapool 17^th, Tarbert 19^th, Loch Scavaig 20^th, Oban 08.00 – 19.00 21^st, Colonsay 22^nd, Tiree 23^rd, Muck 24^th, Castlebay 25^th, Loch Scavaig 26^th, Tobermory 27^th, Oban 08.00 – 19.00 28^th, Rhum 29^th, Gairloch 30^th then to Eigg.

Islay and Portrush lifeboats were launched on the evening of Tuesday 8^th to standby after the Cypriot registered coaster CEMFJORD suffered engine failure off the northwest coast of Islay.

The owners of CEMFJORD asked the Londonderry based tug SHROVE to provide a tow but as the weather got worse the lifeboats were called out to the ship, which had six crew and a cargo of white cement on board and was en route to Goole from Belfast.

The lifeboats put lines on to the 1,800-tonne coaster and towed her to the sheltered waters off Scalasaig, Colonsay where she anchored overnight until it was decided where to tow her for repairs.

Meanwhile the Oban lifeboat was called out at 11.24 pm on Sunday 6^th after a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) crashed into Heather Island between Oban and Kerrera with a man and woman on board. The RIB, THE DALRIADA, was found high and dry about 10ft above sea level with the couple standing beside it.

A ferry service between Mallaig and South Uist is still under consideration after the Scottish Executive confirmed it is considering the future of the route between the mainland and the Outer Hebrides.

A study by consultants into the viability of the ferry service linking Mallaig and Lochboisdale was handed to the Transport Minister a year ago.

Last year Caledonian MacBrayne confirmed that consultants Halcrow had been appointed to undertake an appraisal, using the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance, of options for the possible provision of a Mallaig – Lochboisdale ferry service.

The Minister had previously announced a willingness to include an option of the ferry service in the final Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Services tender specifications. However there will be no commitment to the new service until it is clear that the level of service across the existing network will not be affected.

As work on rebuilding the A830 road between Fort William and Mallaig continues, local businessmen claim there is not a better time to re-establish the shorter route between Mallaig and Lochboisdale.

A poor timetable, with the ferry arriving in Mallaig in the early hours of the morning, was blamed for the downfall of the route.

The Northern Lighthouse Board has sold its ship PHAROS to a Falkland Islands based company and will be leaving her homeport of Oban for the last time on September 3^rd.

She will be used as a fishery protection and logistical support vessel and will carry passengers and stores in the South Atlantic on a long-term charter to the South Georgia Government.

PHAROS, built by Ferguson’s of Port Glasgow, was launched by Her Majesty The Queen and has sailed out of Oban since entering service in 1993. She is the ninth ship to carry the name, a tradition which will be carried on by her replacement vessel later this year. PHAROS is being replaced by a new ship currently under construction in the Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland.

During her years in service for the NLB PHAROS has clocked up 250,000 nautical miles looking after Scotland’s lighthouses and buoys.

PHAROS will visit Leith, where she is registered, for the last time in mid-August. This will be the last time the Edinburgh based staff and Commissioners will see the ship.

She will be delivered to her new owners at the Garvel Dry-dock in Greenock on September 9^th for minor alterations before heading for the South Atlantic.

PHAROS Number 10 will be able to undertake commercial work, something the Board is keen to develop in order to keep running costs down.

A crash, which took place on board the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry CORUISK, has left four people injured. The accident happened around 17.00 on Friday 11^th after the ferry docked at Armadale, Skye.

A car was being driven of the ferry when it surged forward and collided with another car, which was stationary on the car-deck. It then crashed into another three cars, which were waiting to board the ferry. A pedestrian also received injuries as a result of the accident.

Transport Minister Tavish Scott opened the new £3.2 million ferry terminal on the Island of Canna today (23/08). Although the island has always had a pier the sixteen islanders now have a new slipway, which will allow the Small Isles ferry LOCH NEVIS to utilise her ramp on the island for the first time giving vehicle access to the island. The new ramp will be put to the test on September 1^st when a truck will be loaded with lambs and driven to the sales in Fort William.

Tomorrow the Minister will travel to Inverie on the Knoydart Peninsular where a new slipway costing £4.6 million will be opened.

The opening of the two slipways marks the completion of a £30 million European assisted programme to modernise ferry services to some of the most remote communities in Scotland.

Lamb and cattle sales have required the need for extra ferry traffic to Tiree over the previous week. On Friday 18^th ISLE OF MULL carried out the evening sailing to Castlebay allowing CLANSMAN to sail to Tiree to assist with the lamb sales.

On Saturday she sailed back to Tiree, arriving around midnight, to collect a cargo of cattle trucks. LORD OF THE ISLES provided a back-up service and took away the remaining trucks.

LOCH TARBERT missed the 1315 ex Lochranza and 1350 ex Claonaig sailings due to mechanical problems today. Normal service resumed with the next sailing, which was the 1430 ex Lochranza.

The following changes will apply to CLANSMAN’s timetable on Fridays 8^th and 29^th September to accommodate livestock traffic from Uist.

The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) are seeking a meeting with Caledonian MacBrayne after learning that six pier hand assistants in Oban have been offered retraining to port assistants or voluntary severance packages.

CalMac confirmed that four of the six have accepted severance packages at the end of the summer season saying that it was trying to achieve greater efficiencies by changing work practices.

The RMT Scottish Regional Organiser Mr Ian MacIntyre said that a pier hand had designated duties involving tying up the ferries when they came into port and other pier duties but that a port assistant would also be involved in the booking office.

“People on the pier have designated work and people in the booking office have designated work. The pier hand assistant will be downgraded. CalMac has not sat down and negotiated a grading for this position”, said Mr MacIntyre.

Following the opening ceremony of the new slipway at Canna on Wednesday 23^rd, LOCH NEVIS sailed away at 1435 with one commercial vehicle, two cars and seventy passengers.

The following changes will apply to the Oban – Lochboisdale – Oban timetable on Saturday 9^th September due to expected low tides at Lochboisdale.

CANNA and RAASAY have changed places. The former ship is now at Corpach for overhaul. The latter is at Rathlin Island.

EIGG was involved in some sort of tests this morning (31/08) around 0830 at the slipway in Oban. Her ramps were being measured for reasons as yet unknown. First the bottom half was measured then the top half. Lastly the whole ramp was lowered and measured.

A rescue boat from HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS picked up a canoeist who got into difficulties and capsized in Sanna Bay off the Ardnamurchan coast last night.

Another capsized while attempting to rescue him. Two other members of the group managed to get the men ashore. The alarm was raised about 1845 after one appeared to be suffering from hypothermia.

HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS responded to calls from Clyde Coastguard. The man was picked up from the shore by the rescue craft and transferred to the Tobermory lifeboat from where he was picked up by a helicopter and taken to Belford Hospital in Fort William.