THE first sea trials for the first of four new ferries ordered for Scottish routes from a shipyard in Turkey have been carried out successfully.
MV Isle of Islay trials took place this week with staff from Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and CalMac in attendance in the Sea of Marmara in Turkey.
Officials announced in March that the ship, which is being built by the Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard east of Istanbul, was to be delayed by at least three months due to labour shortages and poor weather.
The contract for four ferries was awarded to the shipyard in March 2022. The MV Isle of Islay, which will serve Islay and Jura, was expected to be delivered in October of 2024.
The delivery of the Isle of Islay is now expected at the end of this year's second quarter.
The first part of the sea trials saw the set-up of the propulsion systems, generators, thrusters, stabilisers and associated electrical systems. These were then tested, trialled and measured with Lloyd’s Register and the Marine Coastguard Agency (MCA) in attendance.
Testing evaluated the vessel’s performance at full load, including speed, stability, manoeuvrability, anchor deployment/recovery and endurance. The trials also established the effectiveness of the vessel’s propulsion plant, automation and navigational systems.
Jim Anderson, director of vessels at CMAL, said: “This is a great step forward in the build programme of the Isle of Islay. The team at Cemre are working hard to prepare the vessel for delivery. There is a great feeling of momentum following the successful completion of this first phase of sea trials.”
The second set of sea trials will take place later this summer, following the installation of the vessel’s battery system and harbour acceptance trials of the hybrid system.
Three other ships – the MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor and MV Claymore – are being built in Turkey.
