Scotland's island communities are facing severe transport disruption, with new figures revealing that thousands of vital ferry sailings are being cancelled each year due to breakdowns in the ageing fleet. The state-run operator CalMac has been forced to axe more than 16,000 journeys in less than two years because of persistent technical faults.
A Fleet in Crisis: The Scale of Disruption
According to the latest data, CalMac cancelled 16,039 sailings between January 2023 and the end of October 2024 solely due to technical faults with its vessels. This accounted for almost half of the total 36,707 cancellations over the period, with adverse weather causing most of the remainder. The statistics show that not a single one of CalMac's 30 routes was immune, with each experiencing at least 31 cancellations from faults.
The most severely affected routes were Gourock to Dunoon, with a staggering 6,180 cancellations, Tarbert Loch Fyne to Portavadie (2,206), and Mallaig to Armadale (1,284). On some routes, the impact was devastatingly frequent: 21% of all sailings on the Mallaig to Lochboisdale route were axed, while Kennacraig to Islay and Tarbert to Lochranza both saw 17% of services cancelled.
Political Fallout and Community Anger
The crisis has ignited fierce political criticism, with the Scottish National Party (SNP) government facing accusations of causing "chaos" and treating islanders as "second class citizens." Jamie Greene, the Scottish Liberal Democrats' transport spokesman, lambasted the administration's record.
"These figures reveal just how much chaos the SNP are causing," Greene stated. "Our island communities are being anchored with an ageing fleet in constant need of repair, at constant risk of cancellation and costing millions in repair bills." He highlighted communities like Cumbrae in his West Scotland region, which have "suffered endless disruption."
New Vessels Plagued by Delays and Soaring Costs
The situation is exacerbated by chronic delays and budget overruns in the programme to deliver new ferries. The Scottish Government, as sole shareholder in both CalMac and the procurement body CMAL, is under intense scrutiny.
It was revealed last week that the MV Glen Rosa, one of two ferries ordered by SNP ministers in 2015 for an original £97 million, has been delayed again. Initially due in 2018, its delivery was recently pushed from mid-2026 to the end of 2027. Its cost is now expected to far exceed the current £185 million estimate, with another price hike due in January.
Similarly, the delivery of the MV Isle of Islay, being built in Turkey, has been postponed from this Christmas into next year. The only new major vessel introduced so far, the Glen Sannox, has itself been plagued by a saga of delays and technical problems.
In response, CalMac emphasised that only 3% of all sailings since 2023 were cancelled for technical reasons, with over 92% completed successfully. The operator acknowledged that "technical problems do happen with an ageing fleet" but pointed to the planned arrival of five major and seven small vessels by 2029 to improve reliability.
The Scottish Government defended its investment, stating: "We are investing in six new major vessels... We know that Scotland’s island communities face distinct challenges." It pointed to initiatives like the £4.4 million Islands Business Resilience Fund to help mitigate the impact of travel disruption.
