} MV ''Lochnevis'' ( gd, Loch Nibheis) is a

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 Fi ...

ferry, launched in 2000. She is operated by

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...

, serving the

Small Isles The Small Isles ('' gd, Na h-Eileanan Tarsainn'') are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainl ...

of Scotland.

History

''Lochnevis'' was launched by Rev. Alan Lamb and

Sarah Boyack Sarah Herriot Boyack (born 16 May 1961) is a Scottish Labour politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2019, and previously from 2011 to 2016. She formerly represented the Edinburgh Ce ...

at Ailsa Shipbuilding, Troon on 6 May 2000 and entered service on 1 November 2001.

Layout

''Lochnevis'' appearance is dominated by a large stern vehicle ramp. This allows her to berth a considerable distance from a slipway, protecting her exposed

Azimuth thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder unnecessary. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Ty ...

s in shallow waters. She can carry 190 passengers and 14 cars, although due to vehicle restrictions on the Small Isles, she usually carries few vehicles. The car deck is also used for goods for the islands. The starboard gangway entrance is used at Canna. Forward of the car deck is crew accommodation, with the cafeteria, serving area, and galley above. On the next deck, the observation lounge has seating arranged diagonally. Officers' accommodation lies forward of the lounge, while heavy side doors lead to the open deck. Passengers can enjoy the view ahead from an open bow – a rarity on current ferries. Aft of the lounge is outside seating, again laid out in a diagonal arrangement. Further aft are the fast rescue craft (port) and a single funnel and the hydraulic goods crane (starboard).

Service

''Lochnevis'' replaced the 20-year-old on the Small Isles service. She serves the islands of

Eigg Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an ar ...

Canna Canna may refer to: Places * Canna, Western Australia, a locality in the Shire of Morawa, Australia * Canna, Calabria, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cosenza, Italy * Cannae, a ''frazione'' in the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, Ita ...

Rùm Rùm (), a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum (), is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir ...

and

Muck Muck most often refers to: *Muck (soil), a soil made up primarily of humus from drained swampland Muck may also refer to: Places Europe * Muck, Scotland, an island * Isle of Muck, County Antrim, a small island connected by sand spit to Portm ...

from

Mallaig Mallaig (; gd, Malaig derived from Old Norse , meaning sand dune bay) is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line (Fort Will ...

, taking 7 hours for a round of the four islands, compared with ten hours by her predecessor. Initially, ''Lochnevis'', like ''Lochmor'', at islands apart from Canna, was met by a ferry boat. In the years following her introduction, new piers and slipways have been built on all the islands, allowing ''Lochnevis'' to berth stern-to. During the winter, ''Lochnevis'' adds the

Armadale roster. In the early years, she was relieved by , but since that vessel's sale, , and various charter boats have been used.

References

External links

MV Lochnevis
on www.calmac.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Lochnevis Caledonian MacBrayne 2000 ships Ships built in Scotland Transport in Highland (council area) Small Isles, Lochaber