THE second 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 last week with staff from Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and CalMac in attendance in the Sea of Marmara in Turkey.
It came after the first sea trials were carried out successfully in June, which saw the set-up of the propulsion systems, generators, thrusters, stabilisers and associated electrical systems.
The second sea trials, which took place between last Wednesday and Sunday, were concerned with the set-up and testing of the battery energy storage system as well as the testing and optimisation of the power management system and energy management system.
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 third quarter. It was previously expected that it would be delivered at the end of the second quarter.
Jim Anderson, director of vessels at CMAL, said: “The successful testing of the hybrid system marks a significant step forward in completing this new vessel for Islay and Jura.
“The team at Cemre have made good progress in the build programme for the vessel, and we continue to work closely with the shipyard as we move into the final stages of the build.”
The vessel has now returned to the Cemre Marin Endustri quayside in Turkey to undergo further outfitting work.
Three other ships – the MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor and MV Claymore – are being built in Turkey.
