CalMac's brand new ferry Isle of Islay stormbound again on epic voyage to Scotland
Vessel due in Greenock on Sunday morning after battling severe winter weather on voyage from Turkish shipyard
CalMac’s storm-battered new ferry is not expected to reach Scotland until Sunday morning after the operator’s first delivery voyage from the Mediterranean in the winter turned into an epic crossing.
Isle of Islay is now expected to take four-and-a-half weeks to complete the 5,000 miles from a Turkish shipyard to Greenock on the Clyde, rather than the scheduled two weeks, because of weather so bad it was safer to shelter off the Moroccan coast than in Gibraltar harbour.
The ferry’s crew also became involved in the dramatic rescue of a Moroccan man spotted in the water with a flimsy buoyancy aid who is thought to have been trying to swim to seek asylum at a Spanish enclave on the north African coast.
He is understood to have been handed over to the Moroccan authorities after being looked after on board the ferry for several days.
Isle of Islay, which left Yalova in Turkey on January 22, reached A Coruna in northern Spain on Monday and continued its journey when the weather improved on Friday.
It was sailing through the Bay of Biscay on Friday afternoon.
The ferry had made a scheduled call at Catania in Italy on January 25 and reached Gibraltar on February 1 but was forced to leave the port two days later when the weather deteriorated.
After sheltering off Africa, the ship then headed for Spain, reaching Almeria on the south coast on February 7 where it remained until sailing north on Saturday.
The ferry is due to undergo several days of checks in dry dock in Greenock before weeks of port trials ahead of entering service on the Kintyre to Islay route between Kennacraig and Port Askaig.
A CalMac spokesperson told The Scotsman: “The vessel is due to take on fuel, fresh water and provisions at A Coruna before departing on the final leg of her delivery voyage when a suitable weather window becomes available.
“This will involve travelling across the Bay of Biscay and up the west coast of UK waters through the Irish Sea.
“Expected arrival on the Clyde is next week, and timings will be confirmed once the vessel begins the final leg of the voyage home.”
CalMac is having to bring the vessel home during the winter because it was completed 15 months late and due to have been finished in October 2024.
The delay - due to factors such as supply chain problems - means three other ferries in the order are also running behind schedule.
They are due to be completed at six month intervals, with the next, Loch Indaal, in July, which is also earmarked for the Islay route.
It means that if the third ferry, Lochmor, is completed on the delayed schedule, CalMac faces another winter delivery voyage to bring it home next January.
The vessel, along with the fourth, Claymore, are destined for the “Skye triangle” routes to Harris and North Uist.
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