Ferry due to retire brought in to cover Arran service amid delays to MV Caledonian Isles

A ferry due to retire from service has been redeployed to cover the popular Arran route after the return of its main vessel was delayed.

CalMac has said the MV Hebridean Isles will begin to operate on the route from Thursday until October 2.

It comes amid delays to the MV Caledonian Isles vessel returning to service following eight months of repairs after a gearbox fault was detected over the weekend.

MV Isle of Arran has also now been taken out of service for annual maintenance.

The MV Hebridean Isles is due to retire in November, almost 40 years after joining the fleet, due to amount of work it would require to extend its life.

The vessel will sail from Troon on Thursday and Friday due to high winds forecast but will operate from Ardrossan once weather conditions improve.

Due to its redeployment from Islay, sailings to Lochboisdale on South Uist have been cancelled.

A spokesperson for CalMac said: “Using the route prioritisation matrix, Islay requires two vessels due to extremely high demand, so MV Lord of the Isles will join MV Finlaggan on this service from tomorrow (Thursday).

“Unfortunately, the Lochboisdale service will have to be cancelled but this is under constant review, and we aim to return service to this route as soon as possible.

“Currently, our staff are working on moving traffic to alternative sailings and once that is complete, we will assess any traffic still to be accommodated. In the meantime, displaced traffic will be moved to alternative routes via Lochmaddy and Stornoway, and we are working to add additional sailings and capacity if possible.

“Cancelling any sailing is always a last resort and we apologise to the South Uist community for the disruption that this will cause.”