ISLE OF MULL

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Sailings cancelled due to technical issue

On Dec 31 the 'Isle of Mull' suffered a technical issue with impact on the crew'S hours of rest. As a consequence, the 07:20 a.m. sailing from Oban and 08:40 a.m. sailing from Craignure have been cancelled. CalMac contacted customers affected by this disruption. After the issue has been resolved, the sailings were resumed with the 09.50 a.m. departure from Oban.

Ferry has problems with evacuation system

The 'Isle of Mull' has a serious problem with its evacuation systems. As the problem cannot be fixed easily, a new solution has to be designed. As a result, the vessel's capacity will be limited to just 45 passengers, compared to its usual 900. During the routine inspection of the deployed system, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) identified an issue with the embarkation slide, resulting in the slide failing the inspection. Due to the failure, the starboard side MES system was removed for OEM inspection and failed with the same issue with the glue used in the slide construction. The MES is inspected during overhauls and the annual inspection completed the previous year (2023) had not identified this as a potential issue. Working with the OEM and after an extensive worldwide search, it has become evident that there is no like-for-like replacement available. Obsolescence combined with the design changes in the replacement systems mean that there is no compatible evacuation slide to embark passengers onto the life rafts in an emergency. It is possible that this could take several months to complete. Time will then be required to install and test the system before returning the vessel to a normal Passengers On Board figure and get the new solution certified. With the Calmac fleet so stretched, and delays in the arrival of new ships, this calamity puts capacity on Mull and other routes at risk during busy periods.

Ferry sidelined second time within a week after positive Covid-19 test

The 'Isle of Mull' was put out of action on Aug 31 for the second time in a week after a crew member returned a positive Covid-19 test. Four sailings were cancelled on the route Oban-Craignure. In line with the Covid-19 protocol arrangements have been made for the vessel to be deep cleaned upon return to Oban in the afternoon. CalMac encouraged customers travelling as foot passengers, and who were intending to travel on the cancelled sailings not to travel to Mull as there would be capacity issues which may significantly affect the ability to return to Oban.