Isle of Islay handed over to CMAL, three more to come

Isle of Islay, the first of four ferries being constructed at the yard, will serve Islay and Jura when it enters service, and will be joined by its sister vessel, Loch Indaal, later this year.

The vessel has received Maritime Coastguard Agency approval and passenger certification, and will now be prepared for the repositioning voyage from the Sea of Marmara back to Scotland. This will be undertaken by its operator, CalMac, and is expected to take around two weeks.

Once Isle of Islay arrives in Scotland, it will undergo crew familiarisation and local operational trials before entering service.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said, “The formal handover of Isle of Islay from Cemre to CMAL is an important milestone in the delivery of improvements to our lifeline ferry services. Full focus is now on preparing the vessel for entry into service for the benefit of our island communities and businesses as soon as possible.

“Isle of Islay is the first of the four new Islay-class vessels set to serve Scotland’s ferry network, underlining the Scottish government’s commitment to investing in our fleet and related port infrastructure.”

CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs said, “Taking ownership of Isle of Islay marks a great step forward in our plan to rejuvenate the Scottish ferry fleet. Its arrival in Scotland and subsequent entry into service will be welcomed by the island communities.

“The team at Cemre have worked tirelessly to deliver this vessel under difficult global circumstances, and we’ll continue to work closely with them as they finish its sister vessel, Loch Indaal, and subsequent ferries Lochmor and Claymore, destined for the Skye Triangle. 

CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison said, “Delivery of Isle of Islay is an exciting milestone in efforts to modernise CalMac’s major vessel fleet. The crew and local port teams are raring to go, and we will now undertake a period of essential familiarisation and trials to get it ready to enhance Islay’s service.

The new vessel is equipped with the capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars, or 14 commercial vehicles. This boosts vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes by 40%, improving the overall resilience of the wider fleet.