Length 116 m Beam 18 m | Launched 21 March 2014 | |
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Name MV Loch Seaforth, "Loch Shìophort" Builder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft | ||
MV Loch Seaforth is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited-owned ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. She was launched on 21 March 2014 and entered service on 16 February 2015, replacing MV Isle of Lewis on the crossing between Stornoway and Ullapool.
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History
A replacement vessel for the Stornoway-Ullapool route was announced by Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown MSP on 8 June 2012. Two weeks later on 22 June, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited announced that the contract to construct had been signed with Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft MBH and Co KG in Germany. The name, Loch Seaforth was chosen in a competition run by CMAL, reviving that of MacBrayne's 1947 Stornoway mailboat. Construction commenced on 16 September 2013 with the cutting of the first steel.
After the shed at the Flensburger shipyard suffered storm damage from the St. Jude storm, they announced that the Loch Seaforth's delivery was to be delayed by about two weeks as a result of repairs to the shed roof. The vessel was finally launched on 21 March 2014, and was christened by Mrs Joan Murray, the eldest daughter of the late Captain John Smith, who was master of the original 1947 mailboat. There are also concerns over the timetables for the new vessel. Despite being capable of 24-hour operation, it was thought that the Loch Seaforth would not carry out 24-hour sailings in summer. She replaced the 1995-built MV Isle of Lewis, which remained as a back-up vessel on the route until the summer of 2015.
Service
MV Loch Seaforth is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Stornoway to Ullapool route. The Loch Seaforth departed Germany on her delivery voyage on 4 November 2014 and arrived in Greenock on 7 November 2014. After arrival, the ship commenced sea trials before going being laid up, owing to the unfinished piers at Stornoway and Ullapool. On 12 November 2014, she sailed to Ullapool to conduct berthing trials, which were successful and returned to the Clyde. On 6 December 2014, she sailed for the first time to carry out crew familiarisation tests at her new hometown of Stornoway, despite the terminal not yet ready to accommodate her, before returning to the Clyde once again.
After considerable delay, the new ship undertook berthing trials at her new pier at Stornoway on 4 February 2015. Her first commercial sailing was the overnight freight sailing on 10/11 February. An open day for public viewing of the vessel was held in Stornoway on 13 February, and she gave her first passenger sailing of the Minch the following day. She then entered public service on 16 February, initially on a 'phasing-in' basis, but full-time, effectively relieving the Isle of Lewis, which was delayed in leaving drydock in Birkenhead during her annual overhaul. On 5 March, the Loch Seaforth developed a ventilation fan problem at Ullapool, leaving the Isle of Lewis to rescue stranded passengers and their vehicles and take them back to Stornoway, putting her new 'back up' status straight to the test.
After the Ullapool linkspan was replaced and the port reopened in May 2015, Loch Seaforth finally took up her full round-the-clock schedule between Stornoway and Ullapool by operating both passenger sailings through the day in addition to the overnight freight service, with Clipper Ranger having left Stornoway for Heysham after staying in reserve in case of any teething troubles. Isle of Lewis continued to stay in reserve, undertaking extra sailings on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer of 2015 to cope with extra demand.
From the 29th of October to the 12th of November 2015, Loch Seaforth was relieved by Isle of Lewis and the NorthLink vessel MS Hildasay.