CMAL signed the contract to build two new ferries to support the communities at Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert (Harris). They will also be built at Cemre Shipyard.
The two new vessels will be built to the same specification as the existing ferries under construction for Islay. (Designed by German firm Navalue)
This will speed up the replacement of the major vessel fleet and provide a more standardised vessel type that can be used on a variety of different routes.
(*) The Minch is the broad seaway which separates Great Britain and the islands of the Inner Hebrides from the Outer Hebrides. The Little Minch is the narrower straits between Skye to the east and Harris and the Uists to the west.
Some technical specifications:
Battery Hybrid Diesel Electric propulsion system: • 4 x Diesel Generators (using low sulphur MGO) • 2 x Cycloidal Propellers on Islay Vessels • 2 x Transverse bow thrusters (880kW) • 2 x Battery Banks (2 x approx. 574kWh) • Shore Charging • Batteries banks for peak shaving, in-port, manoeuvring, slow speed
