MV Suilven

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The Stornoway ferry off Ullapool - geograph.org.uk - 1552974.jpg
MV Suilven off Ullapool
History
NameMV Suilven
Namesake Suilven
Operator
Port of registry
Route
Builder
Yard number180
Launched19 April 1974 [2]
Acquired1974
In service27 August 1974
Out of serviceJuly 1995 (with Caledonian MacBrayne)

2004 (with Strait Shipping)

2015 (with Bligh Water Shipping)

November 2015 (with Venu Shipping Limited)
Identification
FateSunk in Suva harbour, 24 November 2015
General characteristics
Tonnage1980
Length86.52 m (283 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Beam16.03 m (52 ft 7 in)
Draught4.96 m (16 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Installed power2 × 7-cyl, Wichmann Diesel 1300 kW [2]
Propulsion2 × variable-pitch propellers & 2 × Brunvoll SPK300 bow thrusters
Speed16 kn (30 km/h) (service)
Capacity500 passengers, 120 cars
Crew25

MV Suilven was a vehicle ferry built in 1974 and operated for 21 years by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Ullapool to Stornoway route. She subsequently operated in New Zealand and later in Fiji.

Contents

History

Suilven was the second of twins, intended for Oslofjord and named after the mountain peak Suilven in Sutherland . She was bought off the stocks in 1974 and modified to comply with British standards for the Lewis service. [2] She remained on the route until 1995, when she was replaced by the larger MV Isle of Lewis. [5]

Design

The car deck featured two lanes either side of the central casing and featured two hoistable mezzanine decks for additional car capacity. Car deck access was via a two piece bow ramp and visor, with a single piece stern ramp. The superstructure featured a foremast above the wheel house carrying the radar scanners and aerials, and a main mast aft incorporated into the forward edge of the funnel, cleverly concealing the main engine exhausts. Her original single lounge bar saloon was soon divided with a screen to cordon off different areas. The cafeteria and servery was situated aft of the saloon and in common with vessels of the time, she was fitted out with a number of sleeping berths allowing passengers to embark the night before an early departure.

Early in her Caledonian MacBrayne career, she was fitted with stabilisers, improving stability. Suilven was the first vessel in the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet to carry the fleet branding on the hull side in large steel letters, welded to the hull side. Air conditioning was fitted for her service in Fiji. [2]

Service

Suilven was purchased for the Stornoway to Ullapool route, a replacement for the 1964 MV Clansman. She operated the route for 21 years, giving two crossings per day in summer reducing, until 1979, to one in winter. [2] In October 1989, MV Isle of Mull's larger passenger capacity was required for those travelling to the Mòd in Stornoway. For those 10 days, Suilven took over the Oban-Craignure service. [2]

By the 1990s, she was increasingly inadequate for the traffic on the service and unacceptably slow and the larger MV Isle of Lewis was built, offering superior capacity and facilities, entering service in July 1995.

No longer required in Scotland, she was sold to Strait Shipping, for service between the North Island and South Island of New Zealand. [2] In 2004, she was moved to Fiji and operated between Suva, Savusavu (on Vanua Levu) and Taveuni. [6]

In August 2012, Suilven was advertised for sale and expected to be sold as scrap for demolition; however, in late 2012, it was reported that Ben Naidu, owner of Venu Shipping, had acquired the ship for refitting and further service in Fiji, for an undisclosed sum. It was believed that, for the first time in her history, the ship would be renamed. [7] [8]

On 24 November 2015 Suilven capsized in Suva harbour. There were no passengers aboard as the ship was only carrying cargo at the time of the incident, the crew were rescued, no one injured. [9]

Related Research Articles

Caledonian MacBrayne

Caledonian MacBrayne, usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast. Since 2006 the company's official name has been CalMac Ferries Ltd although it still operates as Caledonian MacBrayne. In 2006 it also became a subsidiary of holding company David MacBrayne, which is owned by the Scottish Government.

MV <i>Isle of Lewis</i>

MV Isle of Lewis is a Scottish ro-ro ferry, owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Oban and Castlebay, Barra. Built in 1995, she remains one of only two ships in the CalMac fleet over 100 metres (328 ft) in length; the other, Loch Seaforth, being longer by almost 15 metres.

Caledonian MacBrayne fleet

The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 units in operation and another 2 under construction. 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 <i>Lord of the Isles</i>

MV Lord of the Isles is one of the larger Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferries, run by Caledonian MacBrayne and largely operating from Mallaig on the west of Scotland. Built in Port Glasgow, she is the most-travelled vessel in the CalMac fleet.

MV <i>Isle of Mull</i>

MV Isle of Mull is one of the larger Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferries operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Oban on the west of Scotland.

MV <i>Hebrides</i>

MV Hebrides is a ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Uig to Lochmaddy and Tarbert, the main settlements of North Uist and Harris respectively.

MV <i>Hebridean Isles</i>

MV Hebridean Isles is a ro-ro vehicle ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the west coast of Scotland. She was the first MacBrayne vessel to be built outside Scotland and the first to be launched sideways. With bow, stern and side ramps, Hebridean Isles is suitable for all the routes served by the large fleet units. After 15 years crossing the Little Minch on the Uig triangle, she now serves Islay.

MV <i>Isle of Arran</i>

MV Isle of Arran is a drive-through ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated on the west coast of Scotland by Caledonian MacBrayne. Built in 1983, she served on the Arran service for ten years before being moved to Kennacraig. She returned to her original route in 2012, supplementing MV Caledonian Isles in summer and becoming a relief vessel in winter. In 2013, she started a new pilot route from Ardrossan to Campbeltown, which became a permanent fixture in 2015.

MV <i>Lochnevis</i>

MV Lochnevis is a Caledonian Maritime Assets ferry, launched in 2000. She is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, serving the Small Isles of Scotland.

MS <i>Clipper Ranger</i>

MS Clipper Ranger is a freight ferry built in 1998, which was in service with Seatruck Ferries on the Heysham–Belfast route until the latter half of 2012. In September 2013, she was chartered to Caledonian MacBrayne for the freight service between Ullapool and Stornoway.

MV <i>Bute</i>

MV Bute is a ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, on the route between Wemyss Bay and Rothesay on Bute.

MV <i>Pioneer</i> (1974)

MV Pioneer is a stern / side loading ferry built in 1974, in service for 29 years covering nearly all of Caledonian MacBrayne's routes. She now serves the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea and was chartered to rescue Liberian refugees.

MV <i>Saturn</i>

MV Orcadia is a ro-ro passenger and vehicle ferry. She was operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland between 1978 and 2011, for the first decade of her career on the Rothesay crossing. Later, she also saw service on the Dunoon and Brodick crossings, as well as on short cruises around the Clyde. After a lengthy lay-up, she was sold in 2015 to Pentland Ferries to be converted for ferry services and work with the renewable energy sector around Orkney and the Pentland Firth.

MV <i>Pentalina-B</i>

MV Pentalina-B was a fast and extremely versatile ferry which operated on a variety of Scottish routes. Launched in 1970 as MV Iona, she was the first drive-through roll-on/roll-off ferry built for the David MacBrayne Ltd fleet. She was the first ship in the company's history to have bridge-controlled engines and geared transmission, rather than direct drive. She enjoyed a far-flung career and inaugurated more endloading linkspans than the rest of the fleet put together. Purchased by Pentland Ferries in 1997, she was renamed MV Pentalina-B and operated across the Pentland Firth until the arrival of their new vessel. In 2009, she was sold to a Cape Verde owner.

MV <i>Hebridean Princess</i>

MV Hebridean Princess is a cruise ship operated by Hebridean Island Cruises. She started life as the MacBrayne car ferry and Royal Mail Ship, initially RMS then MV Columba, based in Oban for the first 25 years of her life, carrying up to 600 passengers, and 50 cars, between the Scottish islands.

MV <i>Juno</i> (1974) Passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland between 1974 and 2007

MV Juno was a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland between 1974 and 2007. She was the middle of three vessels nicknamed "streakers", the first in the Calmac fleet to be fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers. Juno left service in early 2007 and was laid up at Rosneath for 4 years. On 18 May 2011, she was beached there for scrapping and was gone by the end of July.

MV <i>Muirneag</i>

MV Muirneag is a ro-ro freight ferry, built in 1979 as MV Mercandian Carrier. From 1986 to 2002, she was named MV Belard, serving initially across the Irish Sea. From 2002 to 2013, she was chartered by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Stornoway to Ullapool freight crossing, until she was replaced by Clipper Ranger.

MV <i>Clansman</i> (1964)

MV Clansman was the second of a trio of hoist-loading car ferries built for David MacBrayne Ltd in 1964 and operated on the Mallaig to Armadale, Skye route for ten years. Converted to ro-ro operation, she operated on the Stornoway, Isle of Mull and Arran services. Underpowered and troubled by mechanical breakdowns, she was taken out of service after 20 years.

MV <i>Loch Seaforth</i> (1947)

MV Loch Seaforth was the Stornoway mailboat operated by David MacBrayne Ltd, from 1947 until 1972. Running aground and sinking in 1973, she blocked the Tiree pier, until removed for scrapping.

MV <i>Loch Seaforth</i> (2014)

MV Loch Seaforth is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited 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.

References

  1. ↑ "Ferry Starts Sailing From Natovi Today" . Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Suilven". Ships of Calmac. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "Vessel Search - Suilven". Digital Seas. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "Suilven - IMO 7383487". Shipspotting. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Caledonian MacBrayne - Former Vessels (and Other Steamers)". Iain Murray. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Bligh Water Shipping" . Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  7. ↑ "Fiji Sun" . Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  8. ↑ "Hebrides News" . Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  9. ↑ "Ferry capsizes off Fijian capital Suva" . Retrieved 24 November 2015.

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