It’s cling-ons on the starboard bow! Ferry delayed by barnacles

Timetables altered as sea creatures slow vessel

WEIGHING nearly 9,000 tons and 393ft long, she is the largest vessel in the CalMac fleet.

But despite her size, the main ferry sailing to and from the Western Isles has suffered a setback – thanks to creatures just a few millimetres long.

For tens of thousands of barnacles have attached themselves to the hull of the MV Loch Seaforth, which serves the route between Ullapool and Stornoway.

So many of the minuscule crustaceans have latched on to the bottom they are hampering the boat’s progress through the water.

As a result of the unwanted passengers, CalMac last week had to alter its timetables, creating a

‘No room for her to go faster in poor weather’

massive knock-on effect for many other aspects of Hebridean life, such as deliveries and bus journeys, which rely on the ferry.

Yet just over three years ago the vessel was treated with a hi-tech silicone paint designed to prevent barnacle build-up for five years.

Barnacle colonies cause ships to drag as they pass through the water and burn more fuel. Heavy barnacle growth can increase drag by up to 60 per cent, resulting in an increase in fuel consumption of up to 40 per cent that costs the shipping industry billions every year.

The MV Loch Seaforth was launched in 2014 and can transport more than 700 passengers and 143 cars. It carries out 2,500 sailings – around 132 sea miles – between Ullapool and Stornoway a year.

Last night CalMac confirmed that ‘hull growth build-up’ means sailings are taking an extra ten minutes – and that timetables are being altered accordingly.

It is thought this could create pressure during busy spells at Stornoway to get vehicles on and off the vessel.

Instead of ‘constantly running late’, which puts CalMac at risk of having to pay compensation to passengers, the timetables will allow two hours and 40 minutes for every journey from the end of March.

Citylink’s bus timetable from Ullapool will change to connect with the later ferry arrival.

Delays to CalMac services trigger compensation payouts, with the state-backed firm paying £2.3 million in the eight months to June 2022, a record high compared to any other 12-month period.

Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: ‘MV Loch Seaforth has consistently arrived late in recent years, so we reviewed why this was happening.

‘Marine growth affects all vessels and this does develop as the year progresses, which may be a factor in Loch Seaforth’s arrival times.

‘As MV Loch Seaforth is running at maximum sustainable speed, there is no room for her to operate faster whenever there are factors such as poor weather. Therefore we adjusted her arrival times.’

The hi-tech paint coating was applied to the hull to make the vessel more fuel-efficient.

At the time CalMac’s director of operations, Robert Morrison, said: ‘This paint coating makes it much harder for organisms to attach themselves to the vessel, making it more streamlined. This means it requires less fuel to maintain its normal operational speed.’