Caledonian MacBrayne

History

David MacBrayne

Main article: David MacBrayne

MacBrayne's, initially known as David Hutcheson & Co., began in 1851 as a private steamship operator when G. and J. Burns, operators of the largest of the Clyde fleets, decided to concentrate on coastal and transatlantic services and handed control of their river and Highland steamers to a new company in which Hutcheson, their manager of these services, became senior partner. One of the other partners was David MacBrayne (1817–1907), nephew of Messrs. Burns. In 1878, the company passed to David MacBrayne.

Their main route went from Glasgow down the Firth of Clyde through the Crinan Canal to Oban and Fort William, and on through the Caledonian Canal to Inverness. Services were later added to Islay and the Outer Hebrides. In 1928, the company ran into financial difficulties, and the business was acquired by Coast Lines and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS Railway). In 1948, the shares in the company owned by the LMS Railway passed to the British Transport Commission, thus partially nationalising it. In July 1969, Coast Lines' 50% shareholding passed into state ownership, so that the company became wholly nationalised, and all the shares were transferred to the state-owned Scottish Transport Group.

Caledonian Steam Packet Company

Main article: Caledonian Steam Packet Company

The Caledonian Railway at first used the services of various early private operators of Clyde steamers, then began operating steamers on its own account on 1 January 1889 to compete better with the North British Railway and the Glasgow and South Western Railway. It extended its line to bypass the G&SW's Prince's Pier at Greenock and continue on to the fishing village of Gourock, where they had purchased the harbour.

After years of fierce competition between all the fleets, the Caledonian and G&SW were merged in 1923 into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and their fleets were amalgamated into the Caledonian Steam Packet Company. Their funnels were painted yellow with a black top. At the same time, the North British Railway fleet became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (which built the in 1947). With nationalisation in 1948, the LMS and LNER fleets were amalgamated under British Railways with the name Clyde Shipping Services. In 1957, a reorganisation restored the CSP name, and in 1965 a red lion was added to each side of the black-topped yellow funnels. The headquarters remained at Gourock pierhead.

At the end of December 1968, management of the CSP passed to the Scottish Transport Group, which gained control of MacBrayne's the following June. The MacBrayne service from Gourock to Ardrishaig ended on 30 September 1969, leaving the Clyde entirely to the CSP.

Caledonian MacBrayne

On 1 January 1973, the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. acquired most of the ships and routes of MacBrayne's and commenced joint Clyde and West Highland operations under the new name of Caledonian MacBrayne, with a combined headquarters at Gourock. Funnels were now painted red with a black top, and a yellow circle at the side of the funnel featuring the red Caledonian lion. In 1974, a new car ferry service from Gourock to Dunoon was introduced with the ferries and .

In 1990, the ferry business was spun off as a separate company, keeping the Caledonian MacBrayne brand, and shares were issued in the company. All shares were owned by the state, first in the person of the Secretary of State for Scotland, and (after devolution) by the Scottish Government.

In 1996, CalMac opened its first route outside Scotland, winning a ten-year contract to provide a lifeline service to Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland. This service continued until 2008, when CalMac lost the tender.

A joint venture between Caledonian MacBrayne and the Royal Bank of Scotland named NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries won the tender for the subsidised Northern Isles services, previously run by P&O Scottish Ferries, commencing in 2002. The ambitious programme ran into financial difficulties, and the service was again put out to tender. Caledonian MacBrayne won this tender, and formed a separate company called NorthLink Ferries Limited which began operating the Northern Isles ferry service on 6 July 2006.

Restructuring

Several groups have proposed privatising the service, and there has been a long commercial and political struggle with a privately owned company, Western Ferries, which has run a rival unsubsidised service from Gourock to Hunters Quay (near Dunoon) since 1973. To meet EU requirements for competitive tendering, the Scottish Executive put the collective Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services routes out to competitive tender in 2005. As part of this process the Dunoon route was put out as a separate tender. Some island and union groups opposed the tendering process, fearing it would lead to cuts in services and could be a prelude to full privatisation.

To enable competitive bidding on an equal basis, Caledonian MacBrayne was split into two separate companies on 1 October 2006. Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) retained ownership of CalMac vessels and infrastructure, including harbours, while CalMac Ferries Ltd submitted tenders to be the ferry operator. The company of David MacBrayne Ltd, which had been legally dormant for many years, was re-activated as a company wholly owned by the Scottish Government on 4 July 2006. During September 2006, David MacBrayne Group Ltd acquired the entire share capital of CalMac Ferries Ltd. Thus, from leaving the hands of David MacBrayne 78 years earlier in 1928, the west coast ferry service returned to the fold in 2006, vastly enlarged. The David MacBrayne Group Ltd also acquired the full share capital of NorthLink Ferries, and took over operations of the NorthLink routes on 6 July 2006. A further subsidiary company - Rathlin Ferries Ltd - was established by David MacBrayne Group Ltd to operate the Rathlin to Ballycastle service in Northern Ireland.

Three operators submitted bids for the main block of routes, but CalMac retained all its existing routes. On 1 October 2007 CalMac Ferries Ltd began operating these services on a six-year contract. The Gourock to Dunoon service was the subject of a separate tender, but no formal bids were made. In an interim arrangement, CalMac Ferries Ltd continued to provide a subsidised service on this route, using the name Cowal Ferries. The Scottish Government subsequently decided not to subsidise a vehicle service on the Gourock–Dunoon route due to the existence of the rival Western Ferries vehicle service, and the route was put out to tender again, this time with subsidy available only for a passenger services to maintain a direct link between Gourock railway station and Dunoon town centre. In May 2011, Argyll Ferries Ltd, a newly formed subsidiary of David MacBrayne, was named as the preferred bidder for a passenger-only Dunoon-Gourock service. The timetable was extended into the early hours at weekends, with additional sailings integrated with rail services. Two passenger-only ferries, and (formerly MV Banrion Chonomara), were arranged for the run. When the service began on 30 June 2011, preparation of the Argyll Flyer was incomplete, and as an interim measure the cruise boat was leased from Clyde Cruises. Argyll Ferries was incorporated into Caledonian MacBrayne on 21 January 2019.

On 14 July 2009, it was announced that CalMac would begin Sunday sailings to Stornoway on Lewis from Sunday 19 July. These had historically faced strong opposition from Sabbatarian elements in the Lewis community, particularly the Lord's Day Observance Society and the Free Church of Scotland. However, CalMac stated that EU equality legislation made it unlawful to refuse a service to the whole community because of the religious beliefs of a part of it.

NorthLink Ferries lost the contract for provision of the Northern Isles ferry services to Serco on 29 May 2012.

Covid-19: Emergency lifeline timetable

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CalMac operated a much reduced timetable. From 22 March 2020, they provided a turn up and go service to ensure essential goods and services were delivered to the islands. There were no reservations and no onboard retail facilities. Timetables were modified to meet local needs, with occasional additional crossings and extended layovers.

The Portavadie, Campbeltown and Armadale services were cancelled. Crossing frequencies were reduced on other routes, with single vessels at Rothesay, Largs and Kennacraig. On the smaller vessels, vehicle occupants were required to remain in their vehicle.

Until returned from dry dock in Liverpool, remained on the Uig triangle, with Lord of the Isles and providing services to Lochboisdale, Coll/Tiree and Colonsay from Oban. operated to Arran (22 April – 2 May) and Islay (27 May – 2 June) while and were out of service.

Unused vessels were laid up: in Campbeltown; at Craignure; , and at Sandbank; in Mallaig (covered Sound of Barra service while in Troon); and in Rothesay and in Troon.

Post–Covid

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the company began to struggle to maintain services due to an increasingly ageing fleet. The situation was exacerbated by long delays to the delivery of two new ferries for the Arran service ( and ), a situation dubbed by critics as the "ferry fiasco". Glen Sannox, launched in 2017, was not handed over until November 2024, and entered service on 12 January 2025. As of May 2025, Glen Rosa is expected to be delivered in April 2026. A further four new ferries are under construction at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, and are expected to be delivered during 2025 and 2026.

In May 2024 Transport Scotland granted a contract extension to CalMac to continue to operate the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services until 30 September 2025. In May 2025 Transport Scotland confirmed that CalMac would be directly awarded a contract for a further 10 years, commencing 1 October 2025.

Service

The company enjoys a de facto monopoly on the shipment of freight and vehicles to the islands, and competes for passenger traffic with a number of aircraft services of varying quality and reliability. Nonetheless, few if any of the routes currently operated by CalMac are profitable, and the company receives significant government subsidies due to its vital role in supplying the islands: these routes are classified as "lifeline" services.

Various versions of a local poem (based loosely on Psalm 24) refer to MacBrayne's long dominance of Hebridean sailings: And all that it contains Except the Kyles and the Western Isles And they are all MacBrayne's}}

Routes

Passenger numbers

Fleet

Main article: Caledonian MacBrayne fleet

32 of the vessels operated by CalMac are owned by the asset holding company CMAL. Two ferries, and , are directly owned by CalMac, and a further two, and , are on charter from other owners.

Ten of the vessels can be categorised as "major units" – ships of 80 m or more in length. The largest is at 116 m in length. The newest vessel in current service, , was handed over to CalMac on 21 November 2024, and entered full passenger service on the Troon - Brodick route on 13 January 2025. Shortly to join the fleet will be the first of four new Islay class ferries, MV Isle of Islay, which was delivered on 15 January 2026.

There are 13 "Loch Class" vessels in different shapes and sizes. These double-ended ferries are mostly symmetrical when viewed from the side, with no operational bow or stern (although in official documents the designation of such is given). They generally serve shorter, more sheltered routes, although is able to handle Force 8 gales and carry 31 cars and 195 passengers, with a crew of five. , sometimes referred to as a "super loch", entered service in 2007 on the Largs–Cumbrae route. & are spare and relief vessels and are not assigned to any specific route. Similar in outward appearance to the Loch Class vessels are the three diesel-electric ferries built by Ferguson Marine Engineering: (2013; for Raasay), (2013; for Tarbert, later Lochaline) and (2015; for Lochranza).

A number of vessels have specific features and are designed for specific crossings. (2000) was designed for the Small Isles service, being fitted with a large stern vehicle ramp that allows her to berth a considerable distance from a slipway, protecting her exposed Azimuth thrusters in shallow waters. (2005) and (2007), both built in Gdańsk, work solely on the busy Wemyss Bay–Rothesay route. In 2022, a Norwegian ferry was purchased for the Mull service; after modification it entered service as . is a catamaran ferry owned by Pentland Ferries, currently on charter to CalMac for the Arran service. The smallest vessel in the fleet is , built in Shetland for the Kerrera route.

There are three passenger-only vessels in the fleet: , and . All operate on the Clyde. is leased from Clyde Marine Services for the Gourock to Kilcreggan service, whilst and operate the Gourock-Dunoon service.

Future fleet

The second of two dual fuel ferries for Arran constructed by Ferguson Marine Engineering, , is expected towards the end of 2026.

A £91 million contract to build two ferries for the Islay service was awarded to Cemre Shipyard in Turkey in March 2022. The first steel for two ferries was cut at a ceremony in Turkey in October 2022, with the second vessel's being done in January 2023, in the same week as the first vessel's keel was laid. In May 2023, the same week as the second vessel's keel was laid, it was announced that these ferries would be named and . In October 2022 it was announced that two further vessels would be built to a very similar specification as the ferries under construction for Islay. CMAL signed a contract in January 2023 for Cemre Shipyard to also build the two ferries, which would allow a dedicated, peak season services to Tarbert and Lochmaddy from Uig and provide additional resilience in the fleet. The two vessels are to be named and .

It was expected that Isle of Islay would be delivered by the first quarter of 2025, with Loch Indaal following in the second quarter of 2025. Lochmor was expected to be delivered in the third quarter of the year, with Claymore following by the end of the year. Isle of Islay was completed and handed over to CMAL following passenger certification and approval from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on 15 January 2026. She is expected to travel to Scotland via Gibraltar and the Bay of Biscay, a journey planned to take around two weeks. Berthing trials and crew familiarisation will then be carried out before the vessel enters service. The remaining three vessels are expected to follow at six-month intervals.

In March 2025 a contract was awarded to Remontowa Shipbuilding of Gdańsk in Poland for construction of seven vessels to replace of the oldest of the Loch class vessels. These are electric ferries, though may require to be run on diesel until shore power can be fully set up, with the first vessel expected in 2027. The seven vessels are to be named , MV Loch Etive, MV Loch Katrine, MV Loch Maree, MV Loch Morar, Loch Rannoch, and MV Loch Shiel. The first steel for Loch Awe was cut in September 2025; Loch Etive commenced construction in December 2025.

Footnotes

References

Notes

Bibliography

References

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