CalMac has said it is “extremely sorry” after one of its vessels was taken out of service for repairs, causing travel disruption in the Western Isles.
The Lord of the Isles ferry was withdrawn on Thursday after problems related to corroded steel were found. Its usual service to South Uist was cancelled and traffic was redirected via Lochmaddy in North Uist.
A further problem was announced on Saturday morning when a fault with the vessel’s radar system led to sailings being cancelled.
A CalMac spokeswoman said: “We apologise for the cancellation of the Lochboisdale service due to corroded steel being discovered on MV Lord of the Isles.
“The area where the defect was identified was not part of the planned and scheduled survey area during this year’s annual overhaul programme.
“Due to available capacity on services in and out of Lochmaddy, traffic has been redirected from Lochboisdale during this disruption.
“We are extremely sorry for the disruption to customers caused by the loss of MV Lord of the Isles, and the impact this has on the local communities we serve.”
Concerns have previously been raised in the Scottish Parliament about CalMac’s ageing fleet of vessels and the impact vessels frequently being withdrawn for maintenance or repairs.
In August, opposition MSPs voiced anger at disruption caused by problems with the MV Hebrides ferry.
Meanwhile, commuters faced travel chaos on Monday morning as large parts of the UK were hit by ice, fog and snow following the coldest night of the year so far.
The Met Office issued yellow severe weather alerts due to the wintry conditions.
It was the coldest night of the year so far, with temperatures in northern Scotland dipping below minus 15C.
The Met Office said that the lowest temperature recorded was -15.6C at Braemer in Aberdeenshire, with the five next coldest temperatures all recorded in Scotland, including -13.1 at Balmoral.
More than 100 flights due to serve UK airports were cancelled across Sunday and Monday, with Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City airports among the worst affected.
There is also a warning for wintry showers in many areas of northern Scotland and parts of northeast England for 48 hours from midday on Tuesday.
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