Delays on Stornoway-Ullapool

The fault meant the usual drive through process for loading and unloading vehicles could not operate as normal and some vehicles, including lorries, were forced to reverse off the vessel.

To disembark, lorries had to drive up the harbour ramp and across the village’s West Shore Street into the ferry traffic car park before turning back onto the public road. Cars were turning round inside the vessel to disembark.

Cal Mac stated: “Delaying a sailing is a decision we do not take lightly because we know it will inconvenience our customers and the communities we serve.”

The MV Loch Seaforth was launched in 2014 and entered service with Caledonian MacBrayne on the Stornoway-Ullapool route in early 2015.

In October 2018, the MV Loch Seaforth’s bow doors were damaged when the vessel crashed into the pier in Stornoway.