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CalMac’s newest ferry is to be taken out of service for at least a month as part of efforts to reduce excessive vibration on the vessel. The MV Glen Sannox will be withdrawn from its route serving Arran on November 5 before being taken to a Merseyside dry dock for a programme of works. CalMac said while “every effort” would be made to complete the overhaul on schedule, the scope of the work required was “complex,” meaning the ferry may remain out of service longer than the planned window. It comes just weeks after the 850-passenger vessel had been forced to undergo a second set of repairs after less than ten months in service. The latest planned work is part of a routine programme of maintenance and improvements, but CalMac said it would also include measures to “reduce the effects of vibration”. READ MORE: £1m to oversee Turkish ferries construction is 'excessive' - Scottish Conservatives A small crack in a weld near to the steering gear of the ferry was identified in March, just two months after the ship went into service. It is understood the issue may be linked to the vibration, which could be emanating from its propellers and stern thruster. Subsequent work was carried out on the weld repair to the five-inch defect, which is close to the vessel’s waterline. The MV Caledonian Isles and the catamaran, MV Alfred, will service the Troon to Arran route while their sister vessel is undergoing the repairs. The former ferry only returned to service in early October after 20 months’ worth of repairs. It is understood that MV Caledonian Isles is scheduled to go for her annual drydocking in January. Read more: Ferries control shake-up call to avoid repeat of 'relentless focus on troubled contracts' A CalMac spokeswoman said: “MV Glen Sannox is scheduled to begin annual overhaul on 10 November, leaving the Arran service on 5 November to begin the transit to Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. While there, a programme of maintenance and improvement work will take place, including measures to reduce the effects of vibration identified during operation. “The scope of this work is complex, and although every effort will be made to complete it as quickly as possible, the vessel may remain out of service longer than the planned three-and-a-half-week window and return date of 10 December. We will provide further updates once the detailed work plan has been confirmed. Subscribe today to our Transport newsletter “To ensure certainty for customers, services on the main Arran route will continue with MV Caledonian Isles and MV Alfred until the Glen Sannox returns. If MV Glen Sannox completes overhaul before 28 December, she will return to service on Troon-Brodick.” The spokeswoman added: “We are working closely with partners and doing all that we can to minimise disruption to services and keep communities informed during this year’s annual overhaul period.” It comes as a retired CalMac ferry, MV Hebridean Isles, is en route to a breakers yard, having been taken out of service last year. The 40 year-old ship is being towed to a dismantling facility at Esbjerg in Denmark, where engine parts, navigation and other electrical equipment could be repurposed for use on other CalMac vessels.
