MV Loch Seaforth (2014)
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MV ''Loch Seaforth'' is a ferry operated by
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 ...
between
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
and Ullapool. She was launched on 21 March 2014 and entered service in mid-February 2015, replacing both the former vessel, 1995-built and a chartered freight vessel (latterly ).


History

Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown MSP announced on 8 June 2012 there was to be a replacement vessel for the Stornoway-Ullapool route. Two weeks later on 22 June,
Caledonian Maritime Assets Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (usually shortened to CMAL or CMAssets; Stòras Mara Cailleannach Earr in Scottish Gaelic) owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firt ...
announced that the contract to construct had been signed with Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft MBH and Co KG in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Construction commenced on 16 September 2013 with the cutting of the first steel. The shed at the Flensburger shipyard suffered damage in the St. Jude storm, delaying delivery by about two weeks. The building of the ferry was financed by the
Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Banking Group plc is a British financial institution formed through the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB in 2009. It is one of the UK's largest financial services organisations, with 30 million customers and 65,000 employees. Lloyds B ...
who then leased ''Loch Seaforth'' to
Caledonian Maritime Assets Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (usually shortened to CMAL or CMAssets; Stòras Mara Cailleannach Earr in Scottish Gaelic) owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firt ...
Ltd (CMAL) who in turn chartered her to the operator,
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 ...
. Ownership remained with Lloyds until 10 October 2019, when CMAL purchased ''Loch Seaforth'' outright, ending the lease after almost five years. Over a month after buying ''Loch Seaforth'' outright from Lloyds, CMAL announced that they paid £36 million for her. The name was chosen in a competition run by CMAL, reviving that of MacBrayne's 1947 Stornoway mailboat. Before launch, there was speculation over the timetables for the new vessel. Despite being capable of 24-hour operation, there were concerns that she would not carry out 24-hour sailings in summer. ''Loch Seaforth'' was launched on 21 March 2014 and christened by Joan Murray, the eldest daughter of the late Captain John Smith, master of the original 1947 mailboat. She departed Germany on her delivery voyage on 4 November 2014 and arrived 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 ...
three days later. After sea trials, she was laid up as the piers at Stornoway and Ullapool were unfinished. ''Loch Seaforth'' sailed to Stornoway on 12 November 2014, to conduct berthing trials, which were successful and returned to the Clyde. On 6 December 2014, she sailed to carry out crew familiarisation tests at Stornoway, despite the terminal not being ready to accommodate her. Once again, she returned to the Clyde. ''Loch Seaforth'' undertook berthing trials at the new pier at Stornoway on 4 February 2015. Her first commercial sailing was the overnight freight sailing on 10/11 February. An open day for public viewing was held in Stornoway on 13 February, and she gave her first passenger crossing of the Minch the following day. She entered public service on 16 February, initially on a 'phasing-in' basis, but full-time, effectively relieving ''Isle of Lewis'', which was delayed in leaving drydock in Birkenhead during her annual overhaul. On 5 March, ''Loch Seaforth'' developed a ventilation fan problem at Ullapool, leaving the ''Isle of Lewis'' to take passengers and their vehicles to Stornoway, putting her new backup status to the test. The Ullapool port reopened in May 2015 with a new linkspan. ''Loch Seaforth'' was finally able to take up her full round-the-clock schedule between Stornoway and Ullapool. Chartered freight vessel, left
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
for
Heysham Heysham ( ) is a coastal village in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations. History Of historic ...
after staying in reserve for any teething troubles. remained as a backup vessel on the route until the summer of 2015, undertaking extra sailings on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer of 2015 to cope with demand. ''Loch Seaforth'' was withdrawn from service due to engine failure on 16 April 2021. The ship went for repairs and returned to service on 31 May 2021. returned to maintain the service, at reduced capacity, with and then providing a night freight service. This redeployment caused disruption on several crossings across the CalMac network. From 19 July 2021, was chartered by Caledonian MacBrayne to carry freight on the Stornoway to Ullapool route, freeing MV ''Loch Seaforth'' to make additional passenger crossings.


Layout

MV ''Loch Seaforth'' is of ro-ro design with bow and stern ramps. She has "clam shell" bow doors that open sideways. The car deck provides 376 lane-metres and is partially open at the stern. Car capacity is augmented by two hoistable mezzanine decks. Five stairways and two passenger lifts give access to the main passenger accommodation on Deck 5. This includes a Quiet Lounge, a shop, a Coffee Cabin, a play area and a gaming area. Towards the bow is a cafeteria, with an observation lounge looking forwards, on the deck above. There is outside seating towards the stern on decks 6 and 7. The combination of diesel electrical and diesel mechanical propulsion give a high level of redundancy. The two
Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish corporation, Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the Marine propulsion, marine and energy markets. The core ...
8L 32 main engines can use IFO 40 and MDO
fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel), marine f ...
s. Three backup diesel generators would allow her to operate to timetable even with one main engine out of service.


Service

MV ''Loch Seaforth'' is operated by
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 ...
on the
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
to Ullapool route. She provides passenger sailings through the day and an overnight freight service. From 29 October to 12 November 2015, ''Loch Seaforth'' was relieved by and the NorthLink vessel . From the summer 2023 timetable she has been slowed down from 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes on the
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
to Ullapool route, the same journey time as ''Isle of Lewis'' until 2004 when her journey time was increased by five minutes. This is due to a combination of fuel costs and growth on the hull slowing her down. In March 2023, Robert Morrison, CalMac Director of Operations, stated that the timetable set upon ''Loch Seaforths entry to service was "ambitious" and "hard to deliver on a good day". On 10 April 2023, ''Loch Seaforth'' suffered engine control issues en route from Stornoway to Ullapool. Upon arrival in Ullapool, services were suspended, with some travellers having to re-route via the Uig - Tarbert service.


References


External links


MV Loch Seaforth
on www.calmac.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Loch Seaforth 2014 ships Caledonian MacBrayne Ships built in Flensburg Ferries of Scotland