Caledonian MacBrayne fleet
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Caledonian MacBrayne operates the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 30 units in operation, two under construction. The company provides lifeline services to 22 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating on routes across the River Clyde. The fleet of Calmac can be categorised into various groups.
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[edit] Major units
Vessels of at least 80 m in length are generally referred to as major units. There are presently 8 ships of this type; MV Isle of Lewis, MV Clansman, MV Hebrides, MV Caledonian Isles, MV Isle of Mull, MV Hebridean Isles, MV Isle of Arran and MV Lord of the Isles.
These vessels tend to be found on longer crossings which generate high passenger numbers.
MV Isle of Lewis is the largest vessel in the fleet, at 101 m in length, and operates on the Ullapool-Stornoway, Lewis run.
Despite not being the largest ship, MV Caledonian Isles does have the highest passenger capacity in the fleet. She can carry 1000 people on the Ardrossan-Brodick, Arran crossing.
[edit] Streakers
MV Jupiter, MV Juno and MV Saturn have been given the nickname of the streakers in the fleet, because of their speed and ability to manouvre rapidly both at sea and in port.
They have faithfully served two routes for the best part of 30 years: Gourock - Dunoon, and Wemyss Bay - Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.
After three decades of service with Calmac, the streakers are now showing their age and are being replaced. In spring 2005, the company took delivery of a brand new ship, MV Bute to serve the island of Bute from the Wemyss Bay pier-head. A second vessel, MV Argyle is already under construction in Poland. When she arrives in autumn 2006, one of the streakers will be removed from the fleet and held in reserve. There is much controversy in Scotland regarding the awarding the Bute and Argyle ferry building contracts to ship-yards outside of Scotland.
[edit] Loch Class
The Loch Class are a type of ship which are symmetrical when viewed from the side, and have no identifiable bow or stern. They have a single car deck, running the length and breadth of the ship. Passenger accommodation is found down the sides of the ship (this can be on both sides or just one depending on the vessel), and also, in the case of MV Loch Portain and MV Loch Buie, above the car deck.
They operate on shorter crossings; usually between 5 and 30 minutes; although MV Loch Portain takes 70 minutes to cross the Sound of Harris between Berneray and Leverburgh. The Loch class vessels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the largest of which are the 54 m long MV Loch Dunvegan and sister ship MV Loch Fyne.
There are 10 other Loch class vessels, decreasing in size to 32 m. A new ship of this type is currently under construction, to be named MV Loch Shira.
[edit] Island Class
By far the smallest vessels in Calmac's fleet at 22.5 m long, there remain only 3 of the original 7 ships, MV Eigg, MV Canna and MV Raasay.
Built as the predecessors to the Loch Class from 1972, they have a bow ramp leading to the vehicle deck. At the aft of the ship is the bridge, underneath which is a small passenger lounge and toilet. They can carry 164 passenegers and 6 cars.
[edit] Other vessels
There are three vessels in the fleet which cannot be listed in the above categories.
MV Coruisk is a 65 m 'sheltered water vessel'. She appears rather tall for her length, and looks similar to the 'Loch Class' vessels, but has a recognisable bow and stern. She operates on the Mallaig-Armadale, Skye route in summer, and on the Clyde in winter.
MV Lochnevis is a highly specialised ship serving the Small Isles of Eigg, Canna, Rhum and Muck from Malliag. She is 49.2 m , and has capacity for 190 passengers. Her vehicle deck can accommodate up to 14 cars, but is empty on most sailings due to the lack of roads and vehicle restrictions on the Small Isles. It is instead used mostly for goods and vital equipment for the islands. Lochnevis has a surprisingly large vehicle ramp, which dominates her appearance. This is to allow her to berth a considerable distance from linkspans so as to protect her exposed azi-pod propulsion systems in shallow waters.
In addition to these passenger vessels, Calmac operates MV Muirneag, a dedicated freight ferry, plying between Ullapool and Stornoway, on an overnight basis. She is theoretically the largest vessel in the fleet at 105 m long, but due to the fact that she is chartered she is not officially a Calmac vessel. Sailing overnight across the Minch, Muirneag has to withstand extremely poor sea conditions. On 11 November 2005, she spent 16 hours attempting to gain access to Stornoway Harbour in a heavy storm.
[edit] Fleet Statistics
Name cars Type Built JUPITER 40 Car Ferry 1974 JUNO 40 Car Ferry 1974 EIGG 6 Car Ferry 1975 CANNA 6 Car Ferry 1975 RAASAY 6 Car Ferry 1976 ISLE OF CUMBRAE 18 Car Ferry 1977 SATURN 40 Car Ferry 1977 ISLE OF ARRAN 80 Car Ferry 1983 HEBRIDEAN ISLES 68 Car Ferry 1985 LOCH STRIVEN 12 Car Ferry 1986 LOCH LINNHE 12 Car Ferry 1986 LOCH RIDDON 12 Car Ferry 1986 LOCH RANZA 12 Car Ferry 1987 ISLE OF MULL 80 Car Ferry 1987 LORD OF THE ISLES 56 Car Ferry 1989 LOCH DUNVEGAN (II) 36 Car Ferry 1991 LOCH FYNE 36 Car Ferry 1991 LOCH BUIE 10 Car Ferry 1992 LOCH TARBERT 18 Car Ferry 1992 CALEDONIAN ISLES 110 Car Ferry 1993 ISLE OF LEWIS 123 Car Ferry 1995 LOCH BHRUSDA 18 Car Ferry 1996 LOCH ALAINN 24 Car Ferry 1997 CLANSMAN (V) 90 Car Ferry 1998 LOCHNEVIS (II) 14 Car Ferry 2000 HEBRIDES (III) 110 Car Ferry 2000 ALICAT 0 Motor Cat 2000 (chartered)(2002) MUIRNEAG Freight Ferry 1979 (chartered)(2002) LOCH PORTAIN 32 Car Ferry 2003 CORUISK (III) 40 Car Ferry 2003 BUTE (VII) 60 Car Ferry 2005 ARGYLE (VII) 60 Car Ferry 2006 LOCH SHIRA 24 Car Ferry 2006
