AGEING Scottish ferries could soon be sailing in the Mediterranean rather than being sent to be decommissioned.
Three of CalMac's oldest still-operating ferries – some of which are up to 42 years old – are due to be removed from service over the next year before being sold or scrapped for recycling.
The Isle of Arran (built in 1984), Isle of Mull (1988) and Isle of Lewis (1995) are set to be replaced by a fleet of new ferries.
The most likely destination for the veteran ships is the Mediterranean, where sea conditions are more forgiving than northern Europe.
Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of Scottish Government firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal), told The Scotsman: “We might not consider they have got a future use in Scotland but other areas of the world have in the past shown interest, and we believe will show interest in the future.
“It’s highly likely the real interest would be shown in the Mediterranean because the weather conditions are a lot more benign, and such vessels are really only used there in the summer.
“There are very limited services through the winter to the islands because they are almost devoid of people.
“Using a vessel for only four or five months of the year is a lot different to expecting it to operate virtually year round.
“It’s highly unlikely anybody will buy them in northern Europe because the weather conditions are quite punishing.”
Hebridean Isles, the latest CalMac ferry to be decommissioned, was towed to Denmark last October and almost entirely recycled, at no net cost.
Former CalMac ferries that have continued sailing operations after being removed from their original routes include Columba, which was built in Aberdeen in 1964 and sold in 1989. It was renamed to the Hebridean Princess and has since been operating cruises to the Western and Northern Isles.
Troon-built Iona served various routes from 1970 until being sold to Pentland Ferries in 1997 to operate in Orkney, renamed Pentalina B. It was sold to Cape Verde in 2009 before running aground on rocks in 2014, with the shipwreck now an unofficial tourist attraction.
Suilven, which was built in Norway in 1974, operated on the Ullapool-Stornoway route before being sold to New Zealand in 1995 to operate between its North and South islands. It moved to Fiji in 2012 where it capsized three years later.
