MV Loch Buie approaching Iona | |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name |
|
Namesake | Loch Buie on Mull |
Owner | Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited |
Operator | Caledonian MacBrayne |
Port of registry | Glasgow |
Route | Fionnphort to Iona |
Builder | J W Miller & Sons Ltd, St Monans [1] |
Cost | £3,750,000 |
Yard number | 1045 |
Launched | 14 October 1991 [2] |
Completed | 1992 |
In service | 1 July 1992 |
Identification |
|
Status | in service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | ro-ro vehicle ferry |
Tonnage | 295 GT [4] |
Length | 30.2 m (99 ft 1 in) [1] |
Beam | 10.0 m (32 ft 10 in) [1] |
Draft | 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) |
Installed power | Machinery: |
Speed | 9 kn (17 km/h) |
Capacity | 250 passengers and 9 cars |
Crew | 4 |
MV Loch Buie (Scottish Gaelic : Loch Buidhe) is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferry built in 1992. She is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the crossing to Iona.
Launched in 1992, Loch Buie underwent trials on the Forth, and was delivered to the west coast through the Caledonian Canal. [4]
On her first day in service at Fionnphort, she struck the concrete ramp, damaging one of her Voith-Schneider units. Repairs followed on the Clyde and she returned to service in the summer. [4]
Loch Buie's layout is similar to the original "Baby Lochs" of 1986 and 1987. [4] Her car deck can take two lanes of cars, with a passenger lounge on each side. An additional lounge straddles the car deck, towards the bow. This produces a height restriction for vehicles and reduces her suitability for other routes where drive-through operation for high vehicles is required. [4] The additional lounge means her passenger certificate allows up to 250 passengers.
Her stern ramp was extended after a few years, avoiding the risk of passengers getting wet feet, and making it easier for large vehicles to board from the steep slipways. [4]
Built for the Iona service, Loch Buie rarely sails on other routes. [4]
The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 ferries in operation, 2 on charter and another 6 on order. The company provides lifeline services to 23 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating routes in the Firth of Clyde.
MV Argyle is a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the route between Wemyss Bay on the Scottish mainland and Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. She is the seventh Clyde ship to have the name Argyle.
MV Loch Shira is a car ferry operating on the Largs to Cumbrae route on the Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. The vessel is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne.
MV Hebrides is a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Uig to Lochmaddy and Tarbert, the main settlements of North Uist and Harris respectively.
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MV Canna is a car ferry built for Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) in 1975. She spent 21 years in various locations on the west of Scotland and 20 years at Rathlin Island, Northern Island, before moving to Arranmore.
MV Loch Portain is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited water-jet propulsion ro-ro car ferry, operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, built for the Sound of Harris crossing in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
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MV Loch Ranza is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, serving the island of Gigha.
MV Coruisk is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferry built in 2003, operated by Scottish ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne and serving the west coast of Scotland.
MV Loch Dunvegan is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited car ferry built for the Isle of Skye crossing and now operating in the Kyles of Bute, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. She is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac).
MV Loch Alainn is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferry built in 1997 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. Berthing problems on her intended route at Fishnish meant she began a decade of service at Largs. Since 2007, she has operated across the Sound of Barra.
MV Loch Linnhe is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1986 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne After over ten years at Largs, she was the summer vessel on the Tobermory–Kilchoan crossing from 1999 to 2017.
MV Isle of Cumbrae is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1976 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. For ten years she was at Largs and operated the Loch Fyne crossing from 1999 to 2014. She was replaced by the MV Lochinvar in 2014, a new diesel-electric hybrid ferry capable of holding 23 cars and 150 passengers. She returned to Tarbert in 2016 after MV Lochinvar was moved to the Mallaig - Armadale station. She is now the oldest vessel in the Calmac fleet.
MV Loch Tarbert is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1992 and currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. She has spent most of her career on the seasonal Claonaig – Lochranza crossing.
MV Eigg is a landing craft car ferry built for Caledonian MacBrayne in 1974. She was owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated mostly on the Oban to Lismore route from 1976 until 2013. She was the oldest vessel in the CalMac fleet at her retirement in April 2018. As of June 2018, she is based at Clare Island in County Mayo.
MV Finlaggan is a drive-through vehicle and passenger ferry built in Poland for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited. From 2011, she has been operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Islay service from Kennacraig.
MV Raasay is a bow-loading passenger and vehicle ferry formerly owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets serving Raasay until 2001. She now operates a cargo service to Inishbofin, County Galway from Cleggan.
MV Clew Bay Queen is a car ferry at Clare Island. Built in 1972 as MV Kilbrannan for Caledonian MacBrayne, she operated mainly at Scalpay, Outer Hebrides until 1992. As Arainn Mhor, she then operated the Arranmore ferry in County Donegal.
MV Loch Seaforth is a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Stornoway and Ullapool. She was launched on 21 March 2014 and entered service in mid-February 2015, replacing both the former vessel, 1995-built MV Isle of Lewis and a chartered freight vessel.
Media related to Loch Buie (ship, 1992) at Wikimedia Commons