MV Claymore (2024)

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History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameClaymore
NamesakeFrom the Gaelic claidheamh mòr, meaning "great sword"; also a name previously given to vessels serving the Hebrides
Owner Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
Operator Caledonian MacBrayne
Port of registry Glasgow
Route Uig – Tarbert & Lochmaddy
OrderedJanuary 2023
Builder Cemre Shipyard, Turkey
Cost £115 million for 2 ferries [1]
Yard numberNB1100 [2]
Laid downSeptember 2023 [3]
LaunchedTBC
StatusUnder construction
General characteristics
Type Ro-Ro vehicle and passenger ferry
Tonnage Deadweight: 750
Displacement3830
Length94.8 m (311 ft)
Beam18.7 m (61 ft)
Draught4 m (13 ft)
Deck clearance5.1
Propulsion
Speed16.5 kn (30.6 km/h) (service)
Capacity
  • 450 passengers
  • 100 cars or
  • 14 HGVs
Crew
  • 27 crew
  • 27 crew cabins + 4 trainee cabins

MV Claymore is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry currently under construction for use on Caledonian MacBrayne routes on the west coast of Scotland. [4] She is the third of four ferries being built at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, and is expected to be delivered in 2026. She will operate services on the "Uig Triangle" routes linking Tarbert in Harris and Lochmaddy in North Uist with Uig in Skye. [1]

Contents

History

A contract to build two ferries, MV Isle of Islay and MV Loch Indaal, for the Islay service was awarded to Cemre Shipyard in March 2022. [5] 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 January 2023. [6] [7]

On 30 November 2023, a public competition was launched to name the two Uig Triangle vessels, with the following options available for the first:

On 19 December, it was announced that Claymore had been selected as the vessel's name. [4]

When ordered,Claymore was expected to be delivered in June 2025, [7] however in February 2025 it was announced that the vessel, and sister ship Lochmor, were unlikely to be delivered until well into 2026. The shipyard blamed 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 for the delay. [8]

Layout and facilities

Claymore will be able to carry 450 passengers, accommodating 100 cars or 14 HGVs on a partially-open vehicle deck. She will have two mezzanine car decks, one being a single lane and the other having two lanes. The lower vehicle deck will accommodate either five lanes of cars or four lanes of commercial vehicles. A single catering outlet, serving hot and cold food and drinks, will be provided on Deck 6. A children's play area will be provided on Deck 5. [9]

As is usual for CalMac major vessels, crew will sleep on board. Claymore will have 31 cabins, allowing for 4 spare cabins for training purposes, with the normal crew complement being 27. [9]

Service

Claymore and her sister ship MV Lochmor will serve on the "Uig Triangle" routes, linking Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist with Uig on Skye. The two vessels will replace the duty of a single vessel, currently MV Hebrides, providing an increase in vehicle and freight capacity on these routes, whilst enhancing the overall resilience of the wider fleet. [3] Originally, it was intended that MV Glen Rosa would serve these routes, however Glen Rosa will now serve the Isle of Arran alongside her sister ship, MV Glen Sannox, on the Ardrossan to Brodick route. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Two New Vessels for the Little Minch". Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Preference for Green Renewal of New CMAL vessels is Cemre Shipyard once Again!". Cemre Shipyard. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Little Minch ferries reach major construction milestones". Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Names chosen for new Western Isles ferries". BBC News. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Two New Ferries for Islay Reach Next Construction Milestone". Caledonian MacBrayne. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Names announced for new Islay and Jura ferries". BBC News. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Contract Finalised for Two New Ferries for The Little Minch". Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "Further delays revealed for four new CalMac ferries being built in Turkey". Hebrides News. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Information on New Vessels" (PDF). Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Competition Launched to Name Dual Fuel Ferry". Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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