CalMac's newest ship needs dry dock repairs 15 weeks after entering service

CalMac's newest ship - the Turkish-built MV Isle of Islay - is to be withdrawn from service for repairs later this month, just 15 weeks after carrying its first passengers.

The roll-on roll-off ferry entered service on 31 March, but six weeks later a hinge problem with its bow doors meant it has had to operate "single ended" ever since.

The issue is understood to be the only "big ticket" item out of about 150 lesser problems that CalMac wants to be fixed under warranty.

Separately, Scotland's state-owned ferries body is trying to establish if three other CalMac ships being built at the Cemre shipyard will be further delayed because the firm is facing economic challenges.

The second ship in the order, MV Loch Indaal, was due about now, nearly 18 months later than the contracted delivery date, but Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) could only confirm that the ship is still expected this year.

A spokesperson said: "CMAL is working at pace with Cemre Shipyard, Transport Scotland and CalMac to confirm a full project timeline."

The Scottish Conservatives have described MV Isle of Islay's withdrawal for repairs as "another hammer blow for islanders who have been treated as an afterthought at every stage of the SNP's never-ending ferries scandal".

While state-owned CalMac operates the west coast ferry network, it leases the ships it uses from CMAL, which is also wholly-owned by the Scottish government.

The arrival of MV Isle of Islay in Scotland in February, after a four-week and at times stormy journey from Turkey, was hailed as a "new chapter" by CalMac's boss Duncan Mackison.

A few weeks later, after crew familiarisation trials, the ship entered service on the Kennacraig to Islay route.

But after six weeks of sailings, on 14 May, it developed an issue with the hinge pins on its bow door.

Since then, the ship has operated with vehicles embarking and disembarking from the stern, but CalMac said it had been able to maintain scheduled sailings.

The ship will enter Dales dry dock in Greenock on 15 July for two weeks of repairs, during which time its route will be covered by the oldest large vessel in the fleet, MV Isle of Arran, which was built by Ferguson shipbuilders in 1983.

CalMac said it believed the smaller ship would have enough passenger capacity for the route, although customers are advised to book in advance.

Despite the problems, a spokesperson added that the firm was satisfied with the new ferry, and 150 warranty claims was not an unusually-high number for a "first in class" vessel.

The Cemre shipyard in Yalova is building three other identical "Islay-class" ferries for CMAL under contracts worth about £200m in total.

On Friday, CMAL announced it had taken the unusual step of paying in full for the three remaining ships even though they are not yet completed.

Normally, a final staged payment is only paid once the ship has been approved and handed over, giving the owner some leverage over build quality and delivery schedules.

But CMAL said that "economic challenges" facing the Turkish firm meant it was better to pay the money up front, and secure ownership of the vessels early.

The fear among CMAL officials appears to be that Cemre might run into trouble and the ships would be impounded or sold to another customer.

By paying the final milestone payments - which BBC News has established total £23m over and above what has already been advanced - the contracts are now considered concluded.

This means that builder's refund guarantees - a type of insurance policy which allows a customer to get their money back if a shipbuilder goes bust - are no longer effective.

In a worst-case scenario, CMAL would in theory have the options of towing the ships away to another shipyard or negotiating a price with a new owner to complete them.

The aim, however, appears to be to avoid that by using £23m of CMAL's funds to ease Cemre's cashflow problems, allowing the privately-owned firm to weather the financial storm.

CMAL said the "precautionary" decision was taken with the unanimous approval of the CMAL board.

It also has the backing of the newly-appointed Economy, Tourism and Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn.

Turkish shipbuilders are reported to have been hit badly by inflation and currency exchange rate changes that have eroded their competitive edge

Vessel orders from Norway, once a major export market, have also tailed away, with many more Norwegian ships increasingly being built at domestic shipyards.

The 2023 Turkish earthquake, the war in Ukraine and supply chain issues in the Gulf are also said to have caused problems for Cemre.

MV Isle of Islay was delivered 15 months later than agreed in the contract.

In March this year, CMAL said work on the three remaining CalMac ferries was progressing well.

It was even suggested that delivery could be speeded up with the third ship, MV Lochmor, possibly arriving in Scotland later this year.

While not confirming a new delay CMAL, in its latest update said MV Lochmor and the final ship MV Claymore are now expected some time in 2027.

The second ship MV Loch Indaal is expected to join MV Isle of Islay on the Islay route, while Lochmor and Claymore are due to serve Skye, Harris and North Uist.