coruisk – Double-ender for Calmac

Last year the West coast of Scotland coast saw the introduction of a new double-ended ropax ferry built in the UK yard of Appledore Shipbuilders for ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (Calmac). Named Coruisk, this sheltered waters double-ended ferry entered into service in August at a cost of £7.5 million and services the Mallaig – Armadale route during the summer season and the Upper Clyde routes during the winter months. Unfortunately, the vessel has encountered a number of problems, starting with the maiden voyage, which had to be cancelled because the boat?s anchor did not work . Repairs took several days to complete.

This was followed a couple of days later when the new ferry lost its propulsion unit after running into rocks as it sailed into Mallaig harbour. In November it suffered another embarrassing technical problem causing it to return to Gourock within minutes of its departure for Dunoon. The engines were shut down after an emergency light indicated a problem with a propeller control system. The vessel was switched to emergency control, but returned to the pier a few minutes later under normal power.

Since then, the Coruisk, which has a carrying capacity of 200 passengers, 40 cars and 4 HGVs, has given reliable service.

The Coruisk was featured in the May 2003 issue of The Motor Ship.