Police have been called in to control 'aggressive' ferry customers after a spate of Caledonian MacBrayne services were disrupted.
Officers have attended ports in Mallaig and in Ardrossan after staff were subjected to abuse in recent days. Managing director Robbie Drummond took to social media to condemn the 'unacceptable' behavior and pleaded with members of the public to treat workers with respect.
He said: "I know frustrations are running high but please treat our staff with respect - they are doing their utmost to help customers. Police have been asked to attend Mallaig and Ardrossan. Aggressive behavior towards our staff is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
It comes after a number of routes were hit with cancellations on Tuesday, August 2, due to safety issues with one of the fleet's oldest vessels. The MV Hebrides, which is 21-years-old, had to be withdrawn from service due to another issue with its CO2 firefighting system.
It meant services to Harris, Skye and North Uist were cancelled. The MV Isle of Mull was drafted in to operate services between Uig, Tarbert and Lochmaddy.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The outage on the MV Hebrides was caused by a fault on the vessel’s CO2 firefighting system. CalMac have confirmed with Ministers that this fault is a repeat of the previous fault on the vessel. Ministers have requested a thorough investigation into this fault - and why it occurred so quickly after the previous outage on the same vessel.
"CalMac have confirmed that, further to the necessary repairs on the MV Hebrides, she will return to service on Monday. CalMac, as the operator, provided an update on the vessel movements movements to cover for the period of the outage.
" CalMac have added a number of additional sailings to help with essential supplies to the islands and we continue to work with CalMac and CMAL on potential resilience options for the fleet. This includes seeking potential second hand tonnage to improve operational resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes.
"The previous charters of MV Arrow and recent purchase of the MV Utne (now MV Loch Frisa) are evidence of this ongoing commitment to improve and support the existing fleet in this way.
“Ministers recognise that having confidence in ferry services can impact upon people’s decision on whether to live and work on the islands, and impacts upon the sustainability of the island communities themselves. These human impacts are at the heart of Scottish Ministers’ commitment to continued investment in ferry services across Scotland.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We work closely in partnership with a range of transport providers including CalMac. Everyone has the right to go to their place of work and carry out their duties without fear of being subjected to violence, abuse or intimidation.
"Officers will continue to support partners and will take action where any offences are identified. We would also urge people to take responsibility for their own behaviour and be considerate to others."
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