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Customer Update - Mallaig - Small Isles services

Customer Update - Mallaig to Small Isles services 

Updated: 04 October 2024

Amended timetables will continue to be in operation on the Mallaig-Small Isles services up to and including Saturday 12 October 2024. The current vessel deployment plans and amended timetables will remain in place while MV Lochnevis continues to undertake repairs. The background on her repairs is available below, and we will continue to keep customers updated should we have any additional information to share.  

Vehicle and freight passengers  

The vehicle and freight service will continue to be operated by MV Loch Bhrusda on an amended timetable.  

Information for foot passengers 

Passenger only services will be operated by chartered vessels - MV Shearwater on Monday - Friday and Sundays operating as per the usual MV Lochnevis timetable, and MV Larven on Saturdays on an amended timetable.  

Please do continue to check our Service Status and Information pages for up to the minute details on travel - including any weather-related disruptions.  

Information on bookings  

If you have an existing booking up to/including 12 October 2024 which is affected by these changes, our port team at Mallaig will be in touch with you directly to inform you of your amended departure times.  

Our system is currently being updated to reflect these changes, if you are a foot passenger intending to make a booking, it may seem some dates are unavailable, please do check back.  

If you intend to travel on this service with a vehicle, please follow the normal process for Small Isles vehicles bookings - by contacting our Mallaig port office directly on 01687 310240. 

Update: 19 September 2024  

We are keen to update our customers about our services between Mallaig - Small Isles during the overhaul period of MV Lochnevis, which has been delayed beyond the original completion date. Full background on this is available below.  

Effect on service 

Amended timetables will continue to be in operation until at least 9 October 2024. The timetables for the Small Isles services are often very detailed and vary from day to day, as is the norm, so please do check our Service Status and Information pages where you'll be able to access the latest timetable information. We've summarised the key information customers need to be aware of below.   

Information for vehicle and freight passengers  

The vehicle and freight service will continue to be operated by MV Loch Bhrusda on an amended timetable.  

Information for foot passengers 

Passenger only services will be operated by chartered vessels - MV Shearwater on Monday - Friday and Sundays operating as per the usual MV Lochnevis timetable, and MV Larven on Saturdays on an amended timetable.  

Information on bookings 

If you have an existing booking up to/including 9 October 2024 which is affected by these changes, our port team at Mallaig will be in touch with you directly to inform you of your amended departure times. 

If you are a foot passenger and intending to make a booking for this service up to/including 9 October 2024, we are currently updating our booking system to reflect these changes. It may be that some dates and bookings show as unavailable or are not visible, please do check back. 

If you intend to travel on this service with a vehicle, please follow the normal process for Small Isles vehicles bookings - by contacting our Mallaig port office directly on 01687 310240. 

Background information on vessels, overhaul and deployment  

The reason for this vessel deployment and amended timetable is because additional emergent work was identified on MV Lochnevis during her overhaul period - the nature of this work requires new spare parts to allow for permanent repairs. The lead time of the spares will delay the completion of her overhaul until the second week of October 2024. As outlined above, during this time, the Mallaig - Small Isles service will continue to be delivered by the alternative vessels detailed above. We will continue to keep our customers informed of any changes and please do check the Service Status and Information pages prior to travel.  

We had originally planned to redeploy MV Loch Bhrusda to the Sconser- Raasay service, however, because of the delay to overhaul of MV Lochnevis, this will now not take place. Read our separate customer update for more details on the Sconser - Raasay service.  

We apologise for the impact on customers and the communities who rely on the service. Our team remains focused on minimising the effect on you wherever possible - and we thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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