Kerrera ferry latest route addition

CalMac recently began operating one of Scotland's shortest ferry services, linking the small Argyll island of Kerrera to the mainland south of Oban.

The Transport Scotland contract to provide the largely passenger-only service to the island, which is home to 50 people, has been integrated into the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) contract, which was awarded to CalMac last year.

The addition of this service to CalMac's schedule brings the number of routes operated to 48, and our fleet to 33 vessels. CalMac currently operates more than 136,000 sailings a year across the west coast of Scotland and this route will add around 2,600 sailings per year to that total.

The service had been operated for 22 years by Kerrera Ferry Ltd, run by local man Duncan MacEachen, who, along with three crewmates, have become CalMac employees.

A new vessel. MV Carvoria, has been commissioned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) from a shipyard in Shetland.

In 2016, CMAL spent £1.7m improving the ferry berthing facilities at Kerrera, including an extension of the slipways at Kerrera and Gallanach and construction of a new breakwater to improve the resilience of the ferry service in poor weather and remove the previous restrictions on freight and deliveries caused by low tides.