More than 10,000 ferry sailings cancelled due to faults

More than 10,000 CalMac ferry sailings have been cancelled due to technical faults since 2023, the Scottish Lib Dems have said.

Freedom of information data obtained by the party showed 10,809 sailings were cancelled for this reason between the start of January 2023 and the end of April this year.

CalMac’s ageing fleet of ferries has been plagued with maintenance issues in recent years, though it is hoped the arrival of new vessels such as the Glen Sannox, which joined the fleet in January, will alleviate the problem.

Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene said: “These figures reveal just how much chaos the SNP are causing island communities.

“Our island communities are being treated as second-class citizens, lacking the basic right to access the same public services as mainland Scots.

“The SNP’s failure to deliver new lifeline ferries has anchored islanders with an aging fleet that is in constant need of repair, at constant risk of cancellation and costing millions in repair bills.

“My constituents on the west coast are suffering the depressing reality of losing business, missing events and hospital appointments and, frankly, they have lost faith in the Scottish Government’s ability to fix those problems.”

CalMac said it is common for some sailings to be diverted to other ports due to weather or sea conditions.

The ferry operator said that on 294 days out of the time period, it operated more than the number of scheduled sailings.

A CalMac spokeswoman said: “The figures clearly show that CalMac operated more than 95% of all planned sailings since 2023.

“In a typical day, we operate over 450 sailings and our staff work hard to provide a good service in challenging circumstances. In fact, poor weather remains the most common cause of disruption.

“In terms of technical problems, these do happen with an aging fleet and in increasingly challenging weather.

“However, the arrival of 13 new vessels by 2029, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year, will reduce these and modern vessels will improve the reliability and resilience of services across the whole network.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Between January 1, 2023 and April 30 2025, over 95% of the 391,139 scheduled sailings operated.

“We are investing in six, new, major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network from early 2025, alleviating the need for extensive repairs on older vessels and improving reliability.

“Contracts have also been signed for a further seven, new, smaller vessels to serve the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.

“CalMac are delivering services in increasingly challenging weather and the arrival of 13 new vessels by 2029, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year, will reduce technical issues and these modern vessels should also be able to operate in more challenging weather and sea conditions.

“To improve service in the short term, we have also purchased the MV Loch Frisa and chartered the MV Alfred. We continue to work with operators and CMAL to improve resilience across our networks.”