Mallaig - Armadale

Headline route information

• Mainland port: Mallaig
• Island port: Armadale
• Check-in-time: 20-minutes prior to departure for cars, 10-minutes for passengers
• Crossing time:
  • MV Coruisk: 30 minutes
  • MV Loch Fyne: 45 minutes
  • MV Lochnevis: 30 minutes
• Vessels:
  • MV Coruisk
  • MV Loch Fyne
  • MV Lochnevis
• Overnight berth: All three vessels overnight in Mallaig

Introduction

The Mallaig – Armadale route is one of the more operationally complex on the network, with markedly different summer and winter timetables and the requirement for three routes (this route plus Mallaig – Small Isles, and Mallaig – Lochboisdale) to work around a single linkspan in Mallaig Harbour.

The primary vessel which operates the route in summer, MV Coruisk, is only certified to operate between sunrise and sunset in summer and not at all in winter. The Mallaig – Armadale route is therefore served by the Small Isles vessel MV Lochnevis in the winter months and thus the timetable on the Skye run is significantly less intensive over that period.

The summer vessel deployment has also been subject to changes in recent years, caused initially by the redeployment of the main vessel MV Coruisk to the Oban – Craignure route in summer 2016. Following this redeployment, the route was operated by MV Lochinvar and MV Loch Bhrusda, supplemented by sailings operated by MV Lord of the Isles in the gaps between the Mallaig - Lochboisdale service. However, the tidal constraints imposed by the slipway-operated Loch Class vessels running off linkspans, combined with some initial reliability challenges associated with MV Lord of the Isles berthing in Mallaig, led to significant customer dissatisfaction. A more stable solution was found with the deployment of MV Loch Fyne from 2017.

MV Coruisk returned to the Mallaig – Armadale route in 2022 following the introduction of MV Loch Frisa on the Oban – Craignure route. Since her return, she has been supplemented in the summer months by a Loch Class vessel, usually MV Loch Fyne, one of the largest of the ‘Small Ferries’ fleet. The summer timetable is now significantly more frequent and offers more capacity than pre-2016 but does have the slightly unusual arrangement of slipway and linkspan vessels operating on the same route and infrastructure. For this reason, the tidal timetable remains in place for sailings by MV Loch Fyne and other Loch Class vessels.

Step 1: Route Service Level

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

Table 23.1: 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 Mallaig - Armadale route to its relevant Route Service Level for both the winter and summer timetables, with commentary provided in the following sections.

Table 23.2: Allocation of Mallaig - Armadale route to levels

Timetable/Route Service Level	Level A	Level B	Level C	Level D	Level E	Level F	Level G
Winter	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Summer	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No

It should be noted that there are no other routes on the network with such a significant winter – summer variation as Mallaig – Armadale.

Categorisation of waters

The Mallaig - Armadale 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 detailed in the Merchant Shipping Notice, (MSN) 1877 (M) Amendment 1.

MV Coruisk has two passenger certificates, a EURO C Restricted which allows her to operate on the Mallaig - Armadale route between 1^st April and 31^st October, and additionally only between the hours of sunrise and sunset. She also holds a UK Passenger Ship certificate for Classes IV and V in different passenger capacities, but this does not permit operation on the Mallaig - Armadale route.

Length of operating day

Winter

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week on the Mallaig - Armadale route. The times presented cover the combined Mallaig – Armadale and Mallaig – Small Isles roster.

Table 23.3: MV Lochnevis – Mallaig - Armadale, length of operating day – winter (hh:mm)

Day	Start-Up	Sailing-Day	Close Down	Length of operating day
Monday	0:30	8:50	0:30	9:50
Tuesday	0:30	9:10	0:30	10:10
Wednesday	0:30	8:35	0:30	9:35
Thursday	0:30	9:10	0:30	10:10
Friday	0:30	8:35	0:30	9:35
Saturday	0:30	8:50	0:30	9:50
Sunday	0:30	8:15	0:30	9:15
Total	3:30	61:25	3:30	68:25

MV Lochnevis operates with a single live-aboard crew in winter. This crew can comfortably deliver the timetable within the regulation hours.

Summer

The tables below summarise the length of the standard summer operating day and week for the Mallaig - Armadale vessels, MV Coruisk and MV Loch Fyne.

Table 23.4: Vessel 1 (MV Coruisk) – Mallaig - Armadale, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)

Day	Start-Up	Sailing-Day	Close Down	Length of operating day
Monday	1:00	11:40	1:00	13:40
Tuesday	1:00	11:10	1:00	13:10
Wednesday	1:00	11:20	1:00	13:20
Thursday	1:00	11:20	1:0	13:20
Friday	1:00	11:20	1:00	13:20
Saturday	1:00	10:55	1:00	12:55
Sunday	1:00	9:50	1:00	11:50
Total	7:00	77:35	7:00	91:35

Table 23.5: Vessel 2 (MV Loch Fyne) – Mallaig - Armadale, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)

Day	Start-Up	Sailing-Day	Close Down	Length of operating day
Monday	0:30	6:45	0:30	7:45
Tuesday	0:30	8:00	0:30	9:00
Wednesday	0:30	8:30	0:30	9:30
Thursday	0:30	6:45	0:30	7:45
Friday	0:30	8:00	0:30	9:00
Saturday	0:30	9:00	0:30	10:00
Sunday	0:30	8:00	0:30	9:00
Total	3:30	55:00	3:30	62:00

MV Coruisk has a core crew of nine who live onboard the vessel. However, an additional five day-crew are required to deliver the summer timetable, all of whom live ashore. The additional crew are a mix of local staff who return home in the evening and shore accommodated crew. For the summer 2024 timetable period, CFL booked out two guest houses for the whole summer season and will book extra hotel rooms for seasonal catering staff when required.

MV Loch Fyne is operated using a shore-based crew who either live locally or stay in shore-based accommodation. The crew operate on a one week on, one week off basis.

Route specific characteristics

• Despite being the primary route vessel in summer, MV Coruisk is not certified to run Mallaig – Armadale in the winter. This leads to a significant reduction in the service, with MV Lochnevis assuming these duties alongside her Small Isles roster. MV Lochnevis is not drive through and also has a much smaller vehicle capacity, and thus capacity as well as frequency and connectivity diminishes significantly in the winter
• The route is unique in having linkspan and slipway vessels operating side-by-side, with both operating from linkspans. This is the source of the summer tidal timetable, which operated for 65 days in 2023
• The Passenger Access Systems (PAS) at Mallaig and Armadale are designed for and can only be used by MV Foot passengers using MV Loch Fyne and MV Lochnevis board over the linkspan and vehicle ramp, which is not an uncommon practice
• There is limited commercial vehicle traffic using this route. This is because the A830 to / from Mallaig includes three railway bridges with height restrictions at 4.1m, which is too low for general commercial freight traffic using some standard trailer equipment. Regular freight to / from Mallaig is moved in vehicles configured to operate at lower heights. Freight traffic to and from Skye mostly uses the A87 and Skye Bridge

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

In the winter timetable period, the Mallaig - Armadale route is operated by MV Lochnevis, on a shared basis with the Small Isles. The tables below summarise the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland (Mallaig) / island:

Table 23.6(a): Mallaig - Armadale winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)

Sailing Details	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
First departure	08:40	08:15	08:40	08:15	08:40	08:40	16:00
Last arrival	17:30	17:25	17:15	17:25	17:15	17:30	17:15
No. of sailings	2	2	2	2	2	2	1
Time on mainland	06:45	06:40	06:05	06:40	06:05	06:20	-
Time on island	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

Table 23.6(b): Armadale - Mallaig winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)

Sailing Details	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
First departure	09:25	09:00	09:25	09:00	09:25	09:25	16:45
Last arrival	16:45	16:40	16:30	16:40	16:30	16:45	16:30
No. of sailings	2	2	2	2	2	2	1
Time on mainland	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Time on island	07:50	08:10	07:35	08:10	07:35	07:50	00:15

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

• Whilst there are some minor variations in the timetable, the operating pattern from Monday to Saturday is broadly similar. Mallaig – Armadale runs bookend a Small Isles rotation. There is an additional late afternoon / early afternoon sailing in the shoulder winter timetable
• 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.
• Whilst the time on mainland in winter appears reasonable, Mallaig is not a major destination in its own right. A day-return trip can be made to Fort William, but this significantly reduces meaningful time on mainland, especially when travelling by public transport
• There is only a single return sailing on a Sunday, which is undertaken in late afternoon, following on from a Small Isles rotation. There is therefore no meaningful time on mainland or island in winter via this route.

Summer Connections

As noted in the introduction, two vessels serve the Mallaig – Armadale route in summer. The tables below summarise the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island:

Table 23.7(a): Mallaig - Armadale summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)

Sailing Details	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
First departure	07:25	07:40	07:40	07:25	07:40	07:10	09:30
Last arrival	19:05	18:50	19:00	18:45	19:00	18:05	19:20
No. of sailings	9	9	10	9	9	9	7
Time on mainland	08:35	08:30	08:40	08:35	08:40	07:40	07:10
Time on island	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

Table 23.7(b): Armadale - Mallaig summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)

Sailing Details	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
First departure	07:25	07:40	07:40	07:25	07:40	07:10	09:30
Last arrival	19:05	18:50	19:00	18:45	19:00	18:05	19:20
No. of sailings	9	9	10	9	9	9	7
Time on mainland	08:35	08:30	08:40	08:35	08:40	07:40	07:10
Time on island	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

The summer timetable represents a significant scaling up on its winter equivalent, with two dedicated vessels operating on the route, albeit MV Loch Fyne only operates part-day to strengthen the service during peak periods. This significantly expands the time on-island and on mainland, including the provision of meaningful time on both sides of the crossing on a Sunday.

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:

• There are three return rail services per day between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig, with an additional early morning arrival from Fort William and late evening departure to Fort William
  • In the winter timetable period, there are lengthy interchange times between the train and the ferry in both directions
  • In the summer timetable period, some Mallaig – Armadale services connect with the train, but there are far more ferry crossings than train services so there is a lengthy interchange time for most sailings. The constraints on the West Highland Line mean that this is not easy to address
• Shiel Buses do however fill several of the gaps in the train service, typically operating four return bus services to Fort William on a weekday, although there is only one return service on a Saturday and none on a Sunday. These bus services connect with onward Citylink connections from Fort William to Glasgow, although there can be a reasonable length of wait time in Fort William when interchanging
• There are local services between Armadale and Broadford and Portree on Skye, but the services are infrequent and only connect with a handful of ferry services

The figures below show onward connectivity (drive times) by car from Armadale and Mallaig respectively. 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):

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.

Key supply-side changes since 2014

In order to understand recent route trends with regards to carryings, capacity utilisation and performance, it is important to record the primary supply-side changes over the last decade or so.

2015

• Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was introduced on the Mallaig - Armadale route in October 2015. This led to the average passenger and car fares being reduced by 39% and 60% respectively, significant reductions in both proportional and absolute terms, as detailed on page 18 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.

2016

• There was a major change in vessel deployment in summer 2016. MV Coruisk was reallocated to the Oban – Craignure route and replaced by the Loch Class vessels MV Lochinvar and MV Loch Bhrusda. This first introduced the tidal timetable to the route and provoked widespread criticism from the Sleat community
• The Loch Class vessels were supplemented by MV Lord of the Isles, which operated three Mallaig – Armadale crossings in between her Lochboisdale – Mallaig duties. MV Lord of the Isles however is towards the larger end of vessels which can operate to and from Mallaig and she was subject to some disruption in inclement weather

2017

• MV Loch Fyne, one of the largest of the Loch Class fleet, entered service on the route in 2017, working alongside MV Lord of the Isles. MV Lochinvar returned to Lochaline – Fishnish. This became the settled vessel deployment until MV Coruisk returned to the route in 2022.

2022

• MV Coruisk returned to the route in 2022 when she was displaced from the Oban – Craignure route by MV Loch Frisa. When originally operating on the route prior to her redeployment to the Oban – Craignure route, she did so in isolation. However, continued route growth, driven in large part by RET, means that she is now supported by MV Loch Fyne in the summer as previously described
• The Mallaig – Lochboisdale route was split from the Mallaig – Armadale route and now operates entirely independently.

How have carryings changed over time?

• Passenger carryings had been growing strongly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing by 28% between 2014 and 2019. However, passenger numbers have not fully recovered from the pandemic, standing at only 70% of their 2019 level in 2022
• Car carryings grew strongly following the introduction of RET in October 2015 and, by 2019, were 43% higher than in 2014 (although the CHFS RET Evaluation suggested that this rate of growth would have been higher had the issues with vessel deployment not arose). Car carryings have also not fully recovered their 2019 level, standing at 76% of their 2019 level in 2022
• As with many routes on the network, the reclassification of the length at which a vehicle is defined as ‘commercial’ from five metres to six metres when RET was introduced has led to a sharp reduction in the number of CVs carried. The impact was particularly marked on this route, with 66% fewer CVs carried in 2019 relative to 2014 and the downward trend has continued post-pandemic, with only 34% of the 2019 CV carryings moved in 2022. That said, it is understood that much of the loss of traffic between 2014 and 2019 was a consequence of the vessel deployment on the route and the tidal timetable operated. Moreover, CV carryings on this route are low in absolute terms, even in 2014 when only 382 were carried 
• Coach traffic was prominent on this route prior to the pandemic, with almost 2,500 coaches carried in 2019, a 15% growth from 2014. This traffic has though almost halved since the pandemic, with coach carryings at only 57% of their 2019 level in 2022
• The Mallaig – Armadale route has therefore been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, and carryings in 2022 remained depressed despite the summer return of MV Coruisk in that year

How has reliability and punctuality changed over time?

• On the face of it, cancellations on the Mallaig – Armadale route had been relatively steady between 2014 and 2020 before a significant increase in 2021 and 2022. The large increase was almost entirely attributable to ‘Scot Gov approved’, which it is understood was in part due to MV Lord of the Isles being redeployed to cover breakdowns elsewhere on the network (although it is not understood if this accounts for all of these cancellations)
• Delays have not followed any particular pattern but were very prominent in 2016 at the point when the vessel deployment was at its most unsettled

Why are sailings cancelled?

• Outwith ‘Scot Gov’ approved, the most common reason for cancellations is adverse weather – the rate of these cancellations has been fairly consistent between 2014 and 2024. MV Lord of the Isles was particularly susceptible to cancellation for this reason, as she first had to make the crossing from Lochboisdale (and get back in the evening) and manoeuvre in the tight harbour at Mallaig

Why are sailings delayed?

• By some distance, the most common cause of delay since 2016 has been ‘operational’ reasons. It is assumed that this is a consequence of the tidal timetable that had to be introduced when the new vessel deployment took effect. That said, there is a ‘high / low tide’ category in the data, which does not feature particularly prominently
• ‘Knock-on delay’ and ‘loading / loading related delay’ are also relatively common causes of delay. This was particularly prominent in 2022 when the rate of cancelled sailings was at its greatest, putting pressure on the other available sailings

How many days per year do services operate to timetable?

• Since 2017 (and excluding the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021), around two thirds of days have operated to timetable (i.e., all sailings on that day arrived on time). This figure however reduced to 34% in 2022 
• The Mallaig - Armadale route is however very intensively operated in summer, and a better measure here is the percentage of individual sailings operated to time. This has generally been around 90% but again reduced to 74% in 2022, reflecting disruption on the route

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

2014-2022

• The Mallaig – Armadale route has been fairly consistent in terms of vehicle capacity utilisation over the last decade. Since 2018, around 45%-55% of sailings have had a load factor in excess of 75%, with around a quarter of sailings being effectively full, although this increased to 38% Capacity can therefore be a problem on the route, particularly as much of the traffic is concentrated on certain peak sailings in the day
• 2022 was a particularly problematic year, reflecting the significant disruption on the route
• Passenger capacity is not routinely a problem

2022 by month

• As with many routes on the network, utilisation challenges are at their most acute in the summer months. Whilst 2022 is perhaps not wholly representative due to disruption on the route, around 70%-75% of sailings between May and August had a load factor in excess of 75%, with around a half of sailings being effectively full
• Mallaig – Armadale is a slightly unusual route in that vehicle deck capacity can also be under pressure in winter due a combination of the much-reduced timetable and the deployment of a smaller vessel, MV Lochnevis