Turkish-built CalMac ferry completes first sea trials

The first CalMac ferry being built by a shipyard in Turkey has completed its initial set of sea trials.

MV Isle of Islay is one of four new ferries being built for Scotland's west coast routes by the Cemre shipyard at Yalova.

The contract was awarded in March 2022 with delivery expected last October but after a series of delays it is now likely to enter service later this year.

CalMac has extended the charter of the catamaran Alfred for a further five months to provide extra capacity while it awaits the arrival of new vessels.

Representatives from CalMac, ferries procurement body CMAL and UK regulators were present as MV Isle of Islay underwent eight days of technical trials off the Turkish coast.

CMAL said it now hoped to provide an updated delivery date once a second set of sea trials have been conducted during the summer.

Director of vessels Jim Anderson added: "There is a great feeling of momentum following the successful completion of this first phase of sea trials."

CMAL has previously said the delays in construction are partly due to the impact of the 2023 Turkish earthquake and global supply chain problems.

The new "Islay-class" ferries have conventional diesel engines, used to generate electricity for electric motors, and also large batteries which can provide power when manoeuvring in harbour.

They will be the first large vessels in the CalMac fleet fitted with a Voith Schneider propulsion system, which uses vertical spinning blades instead of a traditional propeller and rudder.

The next stage of construction will involve installing the batteries and testing how the ships perform in harbour.

CalMac has warned it faces another difficult summer due a shortage of vessels and potential breakdowns of its ageing fleet.

MV Glen Sannox, built by the Ferguson shipyard, entered service in January on the Arran route but other large vessels have been out of action, and one vessel, MV Hebridean Isles, was retired in November.

The situation should start to ease next week when the old Arran ferry MV Caledonian Isles returns to service after 16 months of repairs.

The 32-year-old ship is expected back from 12 June, providing the first Arran sailings out of Ardrossan since January because Glen Sannox is too large to fit and has to sail from Troon instead.

CalMac has also extended the charter for MV Alfred from Pentland Ferries until October at a cost believed to be around a million pounds a month.

The catamaran has been on charter now since the spring of 2023, meaning the charter fees are far in excess of the £14m which the vessel cost to build.

MV Isle of Mull is currently in dry dock for the fitting of a replacement evacuation chute system after a fault left it restricted to carrying just 45 passengers.

While no date for the arrival of the new ferry MV Isle of Islay has been announced, it should be in service later this year, with three similar vessels following on at six monthly intervals.

MV Glen Rosa, sister ship of MV Glen Sannox, is still being fitted out at the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow.

The two ships are larger and have more complex dual-fuel gas propulsion systems, but Glen Rosa is now expected to be delivered between April and June next year.