MV Loch Indaal

MV Loch Indaal is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry being constructed for use by Caledonian MacBrayne on routes on the west coast of Scotland. She is the second of four ferries being built at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), and is expected to be delivered in 2025 for service on routes linking Islay with Kennacraig on the mainland. She is named for the sea loch of Loch Indaal, which lies on the west coast of Islay. The loch is well known as the inspiration for the folk song "The Lights of Lochindaal" by Iain Simpson.^[5]

History
United Kingdom
Name	Loch Indaal
Namesake	Loch Indaal
Owner	Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
Operator	Caledonian MacBrayne
Port of registry	Glasgow
Route	Kennacraig – Islay
Ordered	March 2022
Builder	Cemre Shipyard, Turkey
Cost	£91 million for 2 ferries[1]
Yard number	NB1093
Laid down	24 May 2023[2]
Launched	8 June 2024[3]
Status	under construction
General characteristics
Type	Ro-Ro vehicle and passenger ferry
Tonnage	Deadweight: 750
Displacement	3830
Length	94.8 m (311 ft)
Beam	18.7 m (61 ft)
Draught	4 m (13 ft)
Deck clearance	5.1
Propulsion	2× Voith Schneiders (at the stern) 2× Bow Thrusters
Speed	16.5 kn (30.6 km/h) (service)
Capacity	450 passengers 107 cars or 14 HGVs
Crew	27 crew 27 crew cabins + 4 trainee cabins
Notes	[1][4]

History

A contract to build two ferries for the Islay service was awarded to Cemre Shipyard in March 2022.^[1] A £115M contract for two further ferries of a very similar design to be used on CalMac's Skye, Harris and North Uist services was awarded to Cemre Shipyard in early 2023.^[6][7]

Following a public vote, the names MV Isle of Islay and MV Loch Indaal were chosen for the first two vessels, which would primarily serve the island of Islay.^[8] Loch Indaal was launched on 8 June 2024 by Elaine Anderson, wife of Jim Anderson (CMAL Director of Vessels),^[3][9] and was expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2025.^[10] In February 2025 a delay to delivery was announced, with the shipyard blaming the impact of the war in Ukraine on steel supplies, Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, a shortage of commissioning engineers, and snow and cold weather in Turkey. The expected handover date was stated to be no earlier than the winter of 2025.^[11]

Layout

The shipyard shows a drive-through ferry design with partially open vehicle deck.^[4] She will have two mezzanine car decks, one being a single lane and the other having two lanes. There will be the normal five car lanes and four commercial vehicle lanes for a CalMac vessel. Electric charging points will be available on the car deck.^[12]

The stern ramp will be able to change position depending on the port at which the ferry is berthed to allow ease of loading. This is a very similar design to the MV Glen Sannox.^[12]

Service

Loch Indaal and Isle of Islay were ordered for the Islay services linking Port Askaig and Port Ellen with Kennacraig on the mainland, as well as providing a service linking Kennacraig to the island of Colonsay. They are expected to provide a 40 % increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes compared to the service provided by MV Finlaggan and MV Hebridean Isles.^[8] They have been designed to deliver a significant reduction in emissions.^[1]

The two vessels are larger than the existing vessels serving Islay and Colonsay, and so infrastructure upgrades including dredging, new quay walls, strengthening works, fendering upgrades, facilities for shore power were required at Kennacraig, Port Askaig and Colonsay. Additionally, a new mooring aid was required at Port Askaig. These works were completed in March 2025 to allow the ports to be ready for delivery.^[13]