MV ''Hallaig'' is a pioneering Diesel Electric Hybrid ferry built for the

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne (), in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsid ...

service between Skye and Raasay.

History

''Hallaig'' was launched in December 2012 at

Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson may refer to: Places Australia * Ferguson, Western Australia, a locality in the Shire of Dardanup Canada * Ferguson, British Columbia * Mount Ferguson (Ontario), a mountain in Temagami, Ontario * Ferguson Highway, in Northern Ontario * ...

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow (, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recent census in 2011 s ...

by Deputy First Minister

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...

. The name comes from

a poem A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient G ...

, written by

Sorley MacLean Sorley MacLean (; 26 October 1911 – 24 November 1996) was a Scottish Gaelic poet, described by the Scottish Poetry Library as "one of the major Scottish poets of the modern era" because of his "mastery of his chosen medium and his engagement ...

, itself named after an abandoned township on

Raasay Raasay (; ), sometimes the Isle of Raasay, is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. It is separated from Skye by the Sound of Raasay and from Applecross by the Inner Sound, Scotland, Inner Sound. It is famous fo ...

. ''Hallaig'' was the first commercial ship to be fully built and delivered on the Clyde in over five years. The Scottish Government invested more than £20 million in the project.

Layout

''Hallaig'' is the first of three roll-on roll-off hybrid-powered ferries. She has a low-carbon system of diesel electric and lithium-ion battery power. The 135-ton vessel is long and accommodates 150 passengers and 23 cars or two HGVs.

Service

''Hallaig'' was built for the service between

Sconser Sconser () is a small croft (land), crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road, A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier. Le ...

on Skye and

and commenced service on 17 October 2013. The Clydebuilt ''Hallaig'' began her first sea trials on 5 August 2013, eight months after her launch, although she had moved in and out of dry dock in

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

under her own power in July 2013. The delay in her entry to service was caused by a last minute change in

fire safety Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent wikt:ignition, the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread a ...

regulations which required her and her sister ''Lochinvar'' to have insulation fitted extensively to exposed steel and aluminium on board. In April 2014, ''Hallaig'' temporarily relieved on the

Mallaig Mallaig (; ) is a seaport, port in Morar, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. It faces Skye from across the Sound of Sleat. The Mallaig railway station, local railway station is the terminus of the West Highlan ...

- Armadale service after was involved in an incident at

Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...

and had to have her bow extensively rebuilt. In March 2018, she relieved on the Lochaline - Fishnish route so that her sister could go for her overhaul.

References

External links

MV Hallaig
on www.calmac.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Hallaig Caledonian MacBrayne 2012 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Ferries of Scotland