Customer Update: Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice - Advice and information for our customers

Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice - Advice and information for our customers

*Updated week commencing 21 February 2022

The ongoing adverse weather conditions mean that we are still experiencing disruption to ferry services across the network. This is likely to continue throughout the week commencing 21 February 2022.

If you plan to travel, please always check our service status and information before you set off.

Please also follow our advice on staying in touch with us too - as circumstances and conditions can change at short notice. In addition to checking service status and information which carry the latest information on each route, you can stay connected:

via our app
sign up to our text subscription service for your route
and via our Twitter page @CalMac_Updates.

Should you need to speak with us, direct message or tweet us at @CalMac_Updates from 8am-8pm, 7 days a week, or call our customer engagement centre between 7am-7pm, Monday-Friday and between 8am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Take care. Thank you.

*Updated Friday 18 February for period 18 February - 21 February 2022

The ongoing adverse weather conditions mean that we are still experiencing disruption to ferry services across the network. This is likely to last throughout the weekend (19 and 20 February) and given the forecasts, into week commencing 21 February 2022.

If you plan to travel, please always check our service status and information before you set off.

via our app
sign up to our text subscription service for your route
and via our Twitter page @CalMac_Updates.

Take care. Thank you.

*Updated Thursday 17 February 2022

With the ongoing effects of Storm Dudley and the expected disruption as a result of Storm Eunice on Friday 18 February, we want to provide a further update to our customers on the latest situation and share advice on travel along with details around how we are responding to the impact of the ongoing weather situation.

Storm Dudley created challenging sailing conditions in many of the areas we serve and as a result, we are still facing disruption on our network.

Disruption

Berneray-Leverburgh - Unfortunately, sailings between Berneray and Leverburgh remain cancelled Thursday 17 February and Friday 18 February due to the relief vessel for the route not being able to make safe passage due to the weather. An additional return sailing will be operated by MV Hebrides from Tarbert-Lochmaddy on Thursday evening.

Mallaig-Small Isles and Oban-Coll/Tiree - Sailings between Mallaig and Small Isles and between Oban - Coll and Tiree are also cancelled for the remainder of Thursday 17 February.

Yellow Status - a number of routes also remain on yellow status (be aware) and this means that last minute disruption can be expected. Please prepare and plan ahead with that in mind. We are constantly monitoring and evaluating weather windows and will respond to these by running untimetabled services whenever it is safe to do so, prioritising the movement of vital goods and services to the island communities we serve.

Friday 18 February - Storm Eunice is expected to land on Friday 18 February and we are expecting further disruption to our services as a result. We will keep this under close review and our service status and information will provide you with up to the minute information for each route.

Advice

We will keep our customers informed throughout the remainder of Thursday, Friday and the weekend by sharing the latest information we have via the service status and information pages, our app and Twitter page @CalMac_Updates. Please check service status prior to travel - and should you need to speak with us, direct message or tweet us at @CalMac_Updates from 8am-8pm, 7 days a week, or call our customer engagement centre between 7am-7pm, Monday-Friday and between 8am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Take care. Thank you.

Monday 14 February 2022

With the arrival of Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice expected later this week, adverse weather conditions are predicted to affect parts of Scotland, including the west coast. With that in mind, we want to provide our customers with advice around travel and update you on how we are preparing ahead of their arrival.

Advice

Although there is still some uncertainty on the track and timing of Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, our weather forecasts show that travel disruption on our network is very likely.

High winds are expected from late afternoon on Wednesday 16 February. For example, hurricane force wind gusts in excess of 70 knots are forecast on and around the Western Isles and 61-65 knots in exposed areas of Argyll and the west coast. On Thursday winds are expected to remain strong, especially in the Western Isles and at the time of writing the sea state in the Sea of the Hebrides is forecast to be in excess of 12 metres that morning and an amber warning is in place for Argyll and the Inner Hebrides for the same day.

If you are planning to travel with us this week and into next weekend, please do check our service status and information pages - each one carries the very latest information we have about each route. Our team will be working hard to keep customers updated. You can also access this information by downloading our app or following our Twitter page @CalMac_Updates - which is our service information page.

Our preparation

Wherever possible, our timetables will be amended to take advantage of suitable weather windows. Our team will be working hard to reduce the impact on customers and the communities we serve wherever we can do so safely.

Our team is working with local communities to understand their priorities around the transportation of goods and services. We are also working with regular customers to help them prepare and ensure that essential goods are moved.

CalMac's Director of Operations, Robert Morrison said:

"This will be the fourth week of extreme and unprecedented weather disruptions. We shared last week that this is taking place when other factors are affecting our service - including technical faults, overhaul, and the continuing but lesser effects of Covid19.'

"We know we cannot control every factor, but we want to stress to our customers again that we do understand how much you and the communities we serve rely on our services.'

"Ensuring ferries work as they should is our priority and we are working hard to ensure we limit the impact of this upcoming period of disruption as much as we can and protect the lifeline service we deliver."

We will keep our customers informed throughout the week by sharing the latest information we have via the service status and information pages, our app and our Twitter page @CalMac_Updates.

Thank you.