CalMac Ferry ISLE OF LEWIS has technical fault with car deck and can carry passengers only

From BBC Scotland Online News 7 November 2025

 

Busy ferry route left with passenger-only service after car deck fault

Image source,Caledonian MacBrayne

Image caption,

MV Isle of Lewis has a technical fault with the car deck

 

A ship serving one of CalMac's busiest ferry routes is unable to carry vehicles after a fault affecting the car deck.

MV Isle of Lewis sailings between Stornoway and Ullapool have become a passenger-only service due to a "technical problem" with the ventilation system.

Another vessel serving the route is away for maintenance, and the operator said vehicle sailings would not resume until the 18:15 departure from Ullapool on Monday at the earliest.

CalMac said it was "actively exploring options" to provide additional sailings on alternative routes to the Isle of Lewis and Harris.

The state-owned firm said MV Hebrides, which runs from Uig on Skye to Tarbert on Harris, would operate an amended timetable to assist with vehicle capacity.

CalMac is currently facing a shortage of large ferries to act as replacement vessels, as a number of them are undergoing annual maintenance or needing repairs.

MV Loch Seaforth, the largest ship in the CalMac fleet which normally serves the Ullapool Stornoway route, is in dry dock at Leith.

 

Image source,Christopher Brindle

Image caption,

MV Glen Sannox is at Greenock being prepared for a journey to Merseyside for an extended annual maintenance which will include work to address a vibration problem.

The ferry, which came into service in January, is the only ship in the fleet capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG), and this has to be removed before it travels to the Cammell Laird shipyard.

CalMac has warned local residents they may see "flaring" as residual gas vapour is removed from the ship and burned off at the quayside at Inchgreen, but it has assured them there is no cause for alarm.

Another major vessel, the 32-year-old ship MV Caledonian Isles, recently returned to the Arran service after 20 months of repairs but is out action again following problems with its bow thrusters.

MV Isle of Lewis is the third largest ship in the CalMac fleet, but also one of the oldest, having been built in 1995 by the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow.

The ship is beyond its expected service life, and CalMac has confirmed it is one of the vessels earmarked for replacement when funding becomes available.

The first of four new ships being built at a Turkish shipyard is due to arrive in the next few weeks, but it will undergo a period of crew familiarisation and sea trials so is unlikely to come into service before the New Year.