Tough summer looms for Islay businesses suffering from 'second-rate service' despite promise of new CalMac ferries

Islanders say Scotland’s ferry service is stumbling from crisis to crisis due to a lack of resilience in the system.

Breakdowns and cancellations are causing disruption to businesses as well as missed hospital appointments.

A new ferry for the Islay route was launched in Turkey at the weekend. It is due to be in service by the end of this year, with another due next year.

While a welcome addition, residents there claim they have been dealing with a second-rate service while they are built and are facing another summer of disruption.

Keeping islands connected has grown increasingly difficult.

Frazer Campbell returned to Islay five years ago to run a convenience store on the island. But cancellations have hit sales and left shelves empty.

“You get a lot of ‘again, for goodness sake, what is it this time'”, he told STV News, referring to travellers expressing annoyance at disruption to the ferry service.

Breakdowns and cancellations have hit sales and left shelves empty.

“There’s been times where the bread, which we get three times a week, it could be sitting at the other side, at Kennacraig, for over a day-and-a-half, by the time you get it in, the next lot is getting in pretty soon after and you’re just having to waste a lot of food, or you’ve got empty shelves and people don’t have things to buy.”

Tourism is big business on Islay.

Every year, the island stages Fèis Ila, a nine-day festival of whisky and music.

Organisers say it generates £10m for the local economy. But this year they are concerned no additional ferries are being laid on to cope with demand.

Ben Shakespeare, member of the Fèis Ila festival committee said: “There’s been an unfortunate rise in cancellations – people cancelling their accommodation as well, so it’s been a real problem for our visitors – a lot of whom are travelling from mainland Europe, the USA, Asia.

“But there’s also human issues as well – people not being able to get away for hospital appointments, being able to see family, being able to go on holiday themselves away from the island.”

CalMac says it is working to identify additional capacity.

The anger and frustration felt on Islay is mirrored in island communities up and down the coast. One of the main issues is an ageing fleet. Older ferries means more repairs, putting many out of action for months at a time.

The Hebridean Isles is one of the oldest – last year it was sidelined for 10 months.

Two new ferries being built in Port Glasgow are six years overdue and almost four times overbudget.

Garry MacLean, a member of the Islay Community Council ferry committee, said: “With the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa not entering service, there are no other vessels in the network that can be brought into relieve (the situation).

“We seem to be stumbling from crisis to crisis in our ferry system and there’s a lot of us in the community working very hard to try and get the best service we can, but unfortunately we feel it is falling on deaf ears.

“It just seems we’re getting a second-rate service.”

However Islay is due to get new ferries.

The first was launched in Turkey at the weekend. It is due to be in service by late November or early December.