Advertisement

HEBRIDEAN ROUTES: Western Isles milestone for car ferries

This year brings the 50th anniversary of the introduction of drive-on/drive-off car ferries in the Western Isles. David MacBrayne put the side-loading Hebrides into operation when he opened the Uig-Lochmaddy-Tarbert triangle of routes on 15 April 1964, with sisters Clansman and Columba, built by Hall, Russell & Co of Aberdeen, serving Mull and Skye from later in the same year.

In 1964 Hebrides carried 11,000 vehicles, while last year 78,000 were handled by the present route vessel, also named Hebrides (2001/5,506gt). The vessels were able to use existing piers, with vehicles driving onto a platform lift which then lowered them to drive onto the actual car decks.

The 1964-built Hebrides left Scottish waters in 1986 and ran from Torquay to the Channel Islands as Devonian for Torbay Seaways, later finding work in the Adriatic as Illyria before being broken up in India in 2003.

Clansman finished her days in the Red Sea as Al Rasheed, but Columba is still going strong, much altered by the George Prior Yard in Great Yarmouth, to carry 53 passengers (later increased to 63) in luxury ‘country house’-style accommodation.

Ships Montly - January 2024

Two Damen Combi Freighters 3850 launched for Fast Lines

On Friday 30 May 2025 the second of three Damen Combi Freighters (CF) 3850 was launched in China for Fast Lines Belgium. This follows...
Advertisement

Related articles

Two Damen Combi Freighters 3850 launched for Fast Lines

On Friday 30 May 2025 the second of three Damen Combi Freighters (CF) 3850 was launched in China...

Stena Line Invest £17 Million In Birkenhead Port Development

Swedish ferry company, Stena Line is investing £17 million into developments at the 12 Quays Terminal in Birkenhead...

UKD host naming of new dredger UKD Sealion

UK Dredging (UKD), a division of Associated British Ports (ABP), hosted the official naming ceremony for the UKD...

MPCC feeder ships to run on low carbon bio-methanol

NCL Nordland, the second of two container vessels that put bio-methanol at the forefront of container shipping’s low...