CalMac has advised that a single vessel service between Wemyss Bay and Rothesay will remain, as works to repair MV Bute may take up to ten days.
Currently, the route is operating with a single vessel service due to a technical issue with MV Bute. CalMac has been unable to identify the route cause of the engine fault, which is adding further delays to the eventual return of the boat.
In the meantime, MV Coruisk will be the only boat operating on this route, with sailings departing from Rothesay Bay on every second hour up until 6.05pm in the evening. This means that during the week there are only seven sailings departing from the island, with this going down to six on Saturday and five on Sunday.
There were suggestions that MV Loch Fyne could be used to replace MV Bute in the meantime, yet these were dismissed as the ramp is too wide for the linkspan at Wemyss Bay.
CalMac has confirmed that these delays may take up to ten days, with the possibility that this could be extended further.
Tommy Gore, the area operations manager for CalMac, said: “MV Bute has been taken off service for further investigation into the cause of an engine fault, and we have been advised that this work may take up to ten days. A single vessel will operate between Rothesay and Wemyss Bay in the meantime. We apologise for any inconvenience that this is causing to passengers.”
MV Bute is now berthed at the James Watt Dock in Greenock as work continues.
