New Islay ferry being built in Turkey completes second sea trial months late

A new CalMac ferry being built in Turkey has completed a second set of sea trials after its delivery was delayed by 11 months.

The MV Isle of Islay is one of four vessels being built at the Cemre shipyard to serve west coast routes.

It was meant to be delivered in October 2024 but supply issues, labour shortages and bad weather has seen months of delay.

On Tuesday, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), the procurement body for Scotland’s ferry operator CalMac, said the MV Isle of Islay was set to be delivered by the end of September 2025.

The second set of sea trials took place in the Sea of Marmara from July 16 to July 20, with staff from CMAL and CalMac in attendance.

They tested the vessel’s battery energy storage system, the “optimisation” of the power management system, and the energy management system.

It comes after shipbuilders at Cemre Marin Endustri in Yalova, Turkey, conducted the first set of sea trials in May.

The ferry, which is to be able to carry up to 450 passengers and 100 cars, has since returned to the shipyard for further outfitting work.

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.”

Three other ferries are being built at the Turkish shipyard: the MV Loch Indaal – also set to serve Islay – and the MV Claymore and MV Lochmor – which will serve the Little Minch routes.