Humza Yousaf has admitted there are “challenges” around the resilience of the ferry network, after it emerged the military may be called in to replace a key Highland route.
The Corran Ferry route is currently only carrying foot passengers to the Ardnamurchan peninsula after the relief vessel broke down.
A reduced service has been running on the five-minute crossing of Loch Linnhe since January as the main ferry on the Highland Council service, the MV Corran, was taken away for repairs.
There is currently no car service on what is the busiest single-vessel route in Scotland, carrying more than 270,000 cars a year.
The First Minister said discussions with Highland Council had taken place and any formal request for military aid would come from the Scottish Government.
Yousaf said he would submit the request as soon as it is ready, saying: “I’d be happy to assist in any way that the Scottish Government possibly can.”
He told the PA news agency: “We know that there are challenges around the resilience of the ferry network, we know the age of some of the fleet – we are committed to the ferry network but yes there are challenges around its resilience, there’s no escaping that.”
Discussing how the situation would be handled in an independent Scotland, Yousaf said: “We’d have our own military to be able to pay into and therefore we’d have our own assets that we’d be able to draw upon.”
The MV Maid of Glencoul had been covering the route until it broke down last Friday, leaving locals and tourists facing a diversion of around 42 miles.
Highland Council organised a foot passenger route from Wednesday on a catamaran which can take up to 65 passengers, which runs two return trips daily.
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