Captain Andy Gill explains the extended dry dock period that is delaying one of Arran’s main passenger and freight vessels beyond its planned two-week overhaul schedule, causing havoc with the rest of the network. Major issues with both the MV Caledonian Isles' ageing engines have been discovered, and specialist contractors have been brought in to clear debris which could potentially have caused them to explode while in service.
Back at HQ, CalMac CEO Robbie and his disruption management team have called a crisis meeting to discuss the dire state of the network, as yet another of their large passenger ferries, the beleaguered MV Hebridean Isles, has broken down, leaving the network in real difficulty.
While covering for the MV Caledonian Isles, the Hebridean Isles develops problems with its steering and is taken out of service. The knock-on effect across the network could be catastrophic as engineers work hard to try to find and fix the problem before the Easter weekend.
On Islay, we visit Bunnahabhain, one of the island’s nine whisky distilleries, on a day when they are loading casks onto a lorry bound for their bottling plant in East Kilbride. Assistant distillery manager Torin Currie explains the amount of freight required to keep the distillery trading, how much they rely on CalMac ferries, and how only having one ferry can have a detrimental effect on business.
We spend time at Islay's two ports, Askaig and Ellen, to witness the level of traffic on a normal day. Port assistant Terry and the teams deal with tons of whisky trade freight as well as business vehicles, tourists and islanders as they struggle daily to share the reduced ferry service. Queuing traffic builds up at both ports as vehicles without bookings try to make it onto the single service being supplied by the MV Finlaggan. On board, retail and catering staff work tirelessly to keep up with the ever-increasing demand from islanders and tourists. We check in with apprentice retail trainee Aleks, who has been in the job for six months, and senior catering steward John McKinlay, a CalMac veteran of many years, as he serves his regulars and greets new visitors to the island.
On the opposite side of the network, in the Outer Hebrides, Lorna Clarke is travelling from Harris to North Uist to perform a wedding ceremony for bride Emma and groom Niall Sean. Meanwhile, the majority of the wedding party and guests are travelling from Uig to Lochmaddy on the MV Hebrides, but bad weather threatens to ruin the big day as the couple prepare for their nuptials. Show less