Castlebay – Oban

Headline route information

  • Mainland port: Oban
  • Island port: Castlebay, Barra
  • Check-in-time: 45-minutes prior to departure for passengers and cars
  • Crossing time: 4 hours and 40 minutes
  • Vessels: MV Isle of Lewis
  • Overnight berth: Castlebay

Introduction

The Castlebay - Oban route is operated year-round by MV Isle of Lewis, which overnights in Barra. 

Step 1: Route Service Level

The table below sets out the incremental ‘Route Service Levels’ which have been developed for this methodology:

Table 10.1: Route Service Level definitions
Level Description Example
A Shared single vessel, single crewed Several routes in Orkney including: Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre; Stromness - Graemsay / Hoy; and Houton - Lyness / Flotta
B Shared single vessel, with more than a single crew Uig - Tarbert / Lochmaddy (summer, currently)
C Dedicated single vessel, single crewed Various 'small vessel' routes in the CHFS network, e.g., Sconser - Raasay, Tayinloan - Gigha etc
D Dedicated single vessel with more than a single crew Colintraive - Rhubodach, which uses a shift system to offer an extended operating day
E Two dedicated vessels, each with a single crew There are no routes with this operating model currently, Wemyss Bay - Rothesay being the closest
F Two dedicated vessels, with one operating with more than a single crew Several routes on the Shetland inter-island network, e.g., Symbister - Laxo / Vidlin
G Two dedicated vessels, with both operating with more than a single crew CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL) Gourock - Dunoon route

Where the table refers to ‘more than a single crew’ (Levels B, D, F and G), this could be a small additional crew complement to extend the day or a full second crew. The crewing model will be described in the narrative which follows.

The operating day of a single crewed vessel is limited to the maximum hours that can be delivered by a single crew within the hours of work regulations and crew contractual agreements. ‘More than a single crew’ is where a small number of additional crew are added to the complement to extend the operating day. However, this falls short of a full extra crew.

The table below allocates the Castlebay - Oban route to its relevant Route Service Level for both the winter and summer timetables, with commentary provided in the following sections.

Table 10.2: Allocation of Castlebay - Oban route to levels
Timetable/Route Service Level Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F Level G
Winter No No Yes No No No No
Summer No No Yes No No No No

Categorisation of waters

The Castlebay - Oban route operates in ‘open seas’ and thus is governed by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018. The provisions of this legislation are covered in Merchant Shipping Notice (MSN) 1877.

The key stipulations of MSN 1877 are as follows:

  • On a sea-going vessel, the minimum hours of rest are:
    • 10-hours in any 24-hour period
    • 77-hours in any seven-day period (i.e., a maximum 91-hour week)
    • The 10-hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which is to be at least 6-hours in length
    • It is also noted that, where a seafarer whose normal period of rest on board a ship is disturbed by a call-out, they should have a period of compensatory rest, as noted in the Merchant Shipping Notice, (MSN) 1877 (M) Amendment 1.

The Castlebay - Oban route is operated by ships from the ‘Major Vessel’ fleet. On the ‘Major Vessel’ fleet, the crew live aboard and the operation is centred around a single live-aboard crew which operates on a two-weeks on, two-weeks off basis. The timetable is generally structured around the maximum number of hours that a single crew can operate on a daily and indeed weekly basis, in line with MSN 1877. 

The number of crew cabins on the ‘Major Vessel’ fleet is therefore a constraining factor on the number of crew which can be housed onboard and thus the level of service which can be operated. 

Length of operating day

Winter

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week for the Oban - Castlebay service.

Table 10.3: MV Isle of Lewis – Castlebay - Oban, length of operating day – winter (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 1:00 10:50 0:45 12:35
Tuesday 1:00 10:50 0:45 12:35
Wednesday 1:00 10:40 0:45 12:25
Thursday 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00
Friday 1:00 10:40 0:45 12:25
Saturday 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00
Sunday 1:00 10:50 0:45 12:35
Total 5:00 53:50 3:45:00 62:35

The Oban – Castlebay route operates with a single vessel-based crew all year round. There is no additional summer manning and the crew are under their maximum weekly hours.

MV Isle of Lewis rarely operates on her highest passenger certification (PC) of 970 on this route – she will generally run on a PC of 132 or 680 (usually the latter). If any additional crew are needed, they could be brought in from the relief crew pool.

Summer

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week in summer:

Table 10.4: MV Isle of Lewis – Castlebay - Oban, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 1:00 10:55 0:45 12:40
Tuesday 1:00 10:55 0:45 12:40
Wednesday 1:00 10:55 0:45 12:40
Thursday 1:00 10:55 0:45 12:40
Friday 1:00 10:55 0:45 12:40
Saturday 1:00 10:20 0:45 12:05
Sunday 1:00 11:15 0:45 13:00
Total 7:00 76:10 5:15 88:25

The summer and winter manning on the Oban – Castlebay route is the same, with a single vessel-based crew operating the service.

Route specific characteristics

  • Barra has direct daily flights to Glasgow as part of an aviation Public Service Obligation route procured by Scottish Government – this is discussed in more detail in the analysis of connectivity below
  • It should be noted that journey times on this route during periods when MV Isle of Lewis is in drydock or out of service are extended by up to 50 minutes, as none of the relief vessels have an equivalent service speed
  • On a summer Wednesday, the Oban – Coll / Tiree service continues to Castlebay in Barra before retracing its steps back to Oban. This allows for day-trips to Coll or Tiree from Oban and provides a connection between these two islands and the Outer Hebrides

Step 2: Analysis of connectivity

This section summarises headline connectivity in terms of the number of ferry connections provided and time on-mainland and on-island. The interactive dashboard includes further detailed connectivity analysis, including information related to onward connectivity.

Winter Connections

The tables below summarise the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island based on the winter 2023/24 5th January to 2nd February and 29th February to 9th March timetable:

Table 10.5(a): Castlebay - Oban winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon-Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 05:45 Not applicable 06:00 N/A 05:45
Last arrival 15:45 Not applicable 16:15 N/A 15:45
No. of sailings 1 0 1 0 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Table 10.5(b): Oban - Castlebay winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon-Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 11:00 Not applicable 11:30 N/A 11:00
Last arrival 10:30 Not applicable 10:45 N/A 10:30
No. of sailings 1 0 1 0 1
Time on mainland 01:20 Nil 01:10 Nil 01:20
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

The key points of note from the above tables are as follows:

  • The Castlebay – Oban service only operates five days per week in the winter, with no Thursday or Saturday sailings
  • Sailings are operated on an ‘out and back’ basis, with an early departure from Castlebay, a short turnaround in Oban and a mid-afternoon arrival back into Barra
  • It should be noted that time on mainland and time on island are calculated from published timetables and may differ slightly from the interactive dashboard, which is based on actual departure and arrival times.

Summer Connections

The Castlebay – Oban route scales up to a seven-day service in the summer months, with an additional Wednesday sailing to Oban via Coll and Tiree, typically operated by MV Clansman. The tables below summarise the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island:

Table 10.6(a): Castlebay - Oban summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon-Tue Wed Thur-Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:55 07:00
Last arrival 17:55 17:55 17:55 18:15 18:15
No. of sailings 1 2 1 1 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island Nil 00:15 Nil Nil Nil
Table 10.6(b): Oban - Castlebay summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon-Tue Wed Thur-Fri Sat Sun
First departure 13:10 07:00 13:10 13:30 13:30
Last arrival 11:40 21:15 11:40 12:35 11:40
No. of sailings 1 2 1 1 1
Time on mainland 01:30 01:30 01:30 00:55 01:50
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

The key points of note from the above tables are as follows:

  • The Castlebay – Oban service operates seven-days per week in summer, with one return sailing per day. Unlike in the winter, MV Isle of Lewis lies in Oban for around 90-minutes (except on a Saturday) before returning to Barra.
  • On a Wednesday, there is an early morning (07:00) departure from Oban to Castlebay. This part of the Oban – Coll / Tiree service, where MV Clansman continues onto Barra before returning to Oban via Coll and Tiree.

Connecting public transport

The interactive dashboard incorporates a detailed breakdown of onward connectivity from all ports on the network, including connecting bus and rail services and contour-based journey time mapping. Key headlines include:

  • The winter arrival into Oban at 12:11 misses the connecting train at Oban by a matter of minutes (the train leaves at 12:07). There is however a 14:47 train and a 12:55 bus to Glasgow, so integration for arriving passengers is relatively good
  • The summer arrival at 11:40 on all days except a Saturday, is ideally timed to meet the 12:07 train. There is a longer wait for a train or bus on a Saturday
  • In the ‘to Barra’ direction, the 11:33 train arrival into Oban is relatively well-timed for the circa 13:00 departure in both winter and summer (given required check-in time). The bus from Glasgow is similarly well-timed
  • The ferry berths in the heart of Castlebay. The limited bus service on Barra does not connect with ferry departures or arrivals
  • There are two daily return flights between Glasgow and Barra. The timetable is likely to vary across the year but the timetable extant at the time this note was produced suggest that it is not possible to make a meaningful day return to Glasgow by air

The figure below shows onward connectivity (drive times) by car from Oban and Castlebay (note that Lochboisdale is also shown given the historic form of this route as an Oban – Castlebay / Lochboisdale triangle). This is broken down to journey times of 0 minutes (in blue), 1-30 minutes (in green), 31-60 minutes (in yellow), 61-90 minutes (in amber) and 91-120 minutes (in red):

Figure 10.1: Onward journey times by car from Oban and Castlebay, as described in text above
Figure 10.1: Onward journey times by car from Oban and Castlebay

Step 3: Carryings, capacity utilisation and performance

This section sets out the key route headlines with regards to carryings, capacity utilisation and performance – described in the form of answers to questions. The data / charts underlying this commentary are included in Appendix A, and detailed route specific data, including sailing-by-sailing analysis, is provided in the interactive dashboard. The appendix covers the period to the end of calendar year 2022, as a full year of 2023 sailing-by-sailing data was not available at the time of its production.

What have been the key supply-side changes since 2014?

2008

  • Whilst well outwith the stated time horizon, it is worth noting that Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was introduced onto the Castlebay - Oban route (or Oban – Castlebay / Lochboisdale route as it then was) in October 2008, as part of the initial pilot which included routes to the Outer Hebrides. This led to the average passenger and car fares being reduced by 44% and 30% respectively, significant reductions in both proportional and absolute terms given the length of the route and high prevailing fares, This can be seen on page 19 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.
  • The introduction of RET led to a 28% increase in passenger carryings and a 37% increase in car carryings
  • In the initial pilot, commercial vehicles were also eligible for RET, and CV carryings increased by 13% as a consequence, This can be seen on page 31 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.

2012

  • The RET pilot on the then Oban – Castlebay / Lochboisdale route was made permanent, but the CV element was withdrawn. Transition arrangements were initially put in place to ease the progression back to full CV fares, pending a Ferry Freight Fares Review. However, no change has since been made to CV fares and the transition fares effectively became permanent. The current fares are lower than the pre-RET level.

2016

  • MV Isle of Lewis was introduced as the primary vessel on the route, following the permanent transfer of MV Clansman to become an Oban-based vessel. This offered major benefits for the route, providing it with one of the largest and fastest vessels in the fleet, and reducing the journey time to 4h45m. Perhaps even more importantly, MV Isle of Lewis became Castlebay-based and was dedicated solely to Barra, breaking the previous Oban – Castlebay / Lochboisdale route and the serving of the island with an Oban-based vessel

How have carryings changed over time?

  • The data shows that both passenger (-15%) and car (-1%) traffic fell on this route between 2014 and 2019. This is because in 2014 the route still had its triangular form and thus carryings accounted for passengers and cars travelling to / from Barra and South Uist. This demand is now largely split across the Castlebay – Oban and Lochboisdale – Mallaig routes. Therefore, whilst travel volumes on the Castlebay – Oban route reduced between 2014 and 2019, overall volumes travelling to / from Barra and South Uist have increased. Indeed, by 2018, the Castlebay – Oban route alone was carrying more cars and almost as many passengers as the former triangular route (albeit there was a slight drop-off in 2019)
  • Passenger numbers have not fully recovered from the pandemic, standing at only 94% of their 2019 level in 2022. However, car carryings have recovered to 101% of their pre-pandemic position
  • With respect to commercial traffic, the Castlebay – Oban route is dominated by Barratlantic, who are a major island-based fish and shellfish processing company with a vertically integrated haulage business that carries most goods to and from Barra. CV carryings are therefore influenced by the requirements of this company and stand at 102% of their 2019 level

How has reliability and punctuality changed over time?

  • The Castlebay – Oban route is one of the most exposed on the network, with a large portion of its route (Castlebay to the Sound of Mull) in open seas and exposed to the prevailing south-westerly wind. Cancellations have been broadly steady at 10%-% most years. That said, cancellation rates between 2019 and 2022 have been higher than in each of the preceding years to 2014. Delays are fairly common, with 15%-20% running late each year

Why are sailings cancelled?

  • As would be expected given the length and exposure of the crossing, adverse weather is by some distance the most common cause of cancellation, accounting for around two-thirds or more of all cancellations in recent years (and in some years almost all cancellations)
  • In 2021 and 2022, mechanical problems did however account for a much greater proportion of cancellations than in any previous year. Breakdowns have been becoming more common across the fleet and infrastructure as it ages
  • There were also a relatively high number of “Scottish Government approved” cancellations in 2021 and 2022, which it is understood is due to MV Isle of Lewis being redeployed to Stornoway – Ullapool to cover breakdowns of MV Loch Seaforth

Why are sailings delayed?

  • Adverse weather is again the major source of delay on this route
  • “Scottish Government approved” delays were a significant proportion of total delays in 2021 and 2022 (and actually the main cause of delay in 2021). This again likely reflects the redeployment of MV Isle of Lewis to Stornoway – Ullapool, as she is considerably faster than any of the relief vessels on the Castlebay – Oban route (hence the longer route sailing time when MV Isle of Lewis in drydock, redeployed or out of service)
  • There are a plethora of other reasons for delay but none are significant in volume terms

How many days per year do services operate to timetable?

  • Since the route took its current form in summer 2016, the number of days operated to timetable has been around 50%-60% Given that there is only one return sailing per day on the route, the number of individual sailings operated to time is not materially different, generally being 60%-70%
  • It is important to note that, with only one return sailing per day, there is some flexibility in the Castlebay – Oban operation in that a sailing can depart earlier or later to work around the weather. This is clearly limited by the requirement to maintain hours of rest but, on some occasions, a delay may avert a cancellation

How often has the vehicle deck been full or nearly full?

2014-2022

  • MV Isle of Lewis is one of the largest vessels in the fleet in terms of both passenger and car carrying capacity, and therefore capacity has rarely been an issue, particularly since the route took its current form in 2016

2022 by month

  • Whilst capacity on the route is not routinely a problem, there has been a growth in higher utilisation sailings in the summer months, particularly between May and August