Calls for ferry damage compensation fund

Hauliers are already seeking legal advice over the disruption to services.

The Scottish Government is facing calls to compensate island businesses which will be hit hard by the latest round of ferry cancellations brought about by a shortage of serviceable vessels.

Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has called on the SNP government to directly help business and tourism operators in Uist which face further hardship after CalMac cancelled the direct ferry service to Lochboisdale throughout the busy Easter period.

CalMac services from Lochboisdale in South Uist to Mallaig and Oban have been cancelled for five weeks between 5 April-13 May due to the need to re-deploy ferries elsewhere on the network with no back-up vessels available.

Over the past two years, the Scottish Government has failed to charter vessels in spite of the obvious risk to island communities from the fragility of fleet, made worse by the absence of two vessels still under construction at the Ferguson yard in Port Glasgow.

Ahead of a visit to the Western Isles, Mr Sarwar said the sudden, prolonged cancellation would be a huge blow to tourism operators, hauliers and fishing businesses in Uist.

He said: “There is a precedent for direct compensation in the schemes to support businesses affected by the pandemic. The paperwork would not take long and businesses with proven losses could be compensated in short order to help them through.”

Western Isles prospective Labour candidate, Torcuil Crichton, said: “ The roots of this scandal may be in the rusting hulls on the Clyde but the direct effects are being felt in Uist and throughout the islands right now.

“There is a lot of anger and despair but there is no point in assigning blame to CalMac as they are operating within the limits of what their fleet allows. We can have an inquisition later but Uist needs compensation now.”

Stòras Uibhist chief executive Darren Taylor said: “Stòras’s income will suffer directly as a result of this with guests booked for Grogarry Lodge already telling us they are worried how they will get here. Askernish golf course will also suffer. But I am more worried about the wider effect this will have on both the South Uist business community and our community.

Last year we were told that we needed to produce an evidence-based assessment of the impact of cancellations. Stòras funded this and presented CalMac will overwhelming evidence of the negative impact…and yet still we are being ignored. It feels as if no one is listening or even cares…and that is simply not acceptable. Stòras will continue to offer all the support we can to our community’

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s chair of transportation and Infrastructure, Cllr Uisdean Robertson said: “The announcement that the South Uist ferry service will be cancelled from April 5 to May 13 is scandalous and we are asking the Ministers to step in and ensure a level of service is maintained from the mainland to South Uist. With Ministers having announced that MV Alfred would be available to serve the Clyde and Hebrides from 18 April it is unclear whether this has been factored in by Calmac in this decision.

"This disastrous plan from Calmac to focus all the economic harm on Uist of the failure of Government and its agencies to successfully invest in new fleet must be reconsidered and reconsidered quickly. There must also be a full independent inquiry to establish why Calmac’s winter maintenance process has failed so spectacularly this year.”