Turkey-built ferry poised to begin serving islands – Daily Business

Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) has taken ownership of a ferry built in Turkey and it is expected to begin serving island communities within weeks.

MV Isle of Islay, the first of four ferries being constructed at the Cemre Marin Endustri yard, will serve Islay and Jura. She will be joined by MV Loch Indaal later this year. 

The vessel has received Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) 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 operators CalMac and is expected to take around two weeks.

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

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said: “The formal handover of the MV 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.

“The MV 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. I very much look forward to the MV Isle of Islay entering service in the coming weeks.”

Kevin Hobbs, chief executive at CMAL, said: “Taking ownership of the MV Isle of Islay marks a great step forward in our plan to rejuvenate the Scottish ferry fleet.

“Her 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 her sister vessel, MV Loch Indaal, and subsequent ferries MV Lochmor and MV Claymore, destined for the Skye Triangle.  

Duncan Mackison, CEO at CalMac, said: “Delivery of MV 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 her ready to enhance Islay’s service.

“Her arrival, and the subsequent arrival of her sister vessels, will enhance resilience across the whole major vessel fleet and increase our capability to provide consistent, reliable services for multiple island communities.”

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.