Oban – Coll / Tiree

Headline route information

  • Mainland port: Oban
  • Island port: Arinagour (Coll) and Tiree
  • Check-in-time: 45-minutes prior to departure for passengers and cars
  • Crossing time:
    • Coll: 2 hours and 55 minutes
    • Tiree: 4 hours and 5 minutes via Coll (most services) or 3 hours and 30 minutes direct
  • Vessels: MV Clansman
  • Overnight berth: Oban

Introduction

The Oban – Coll / Tiree route is operated on a shared basis with Oban – Colonsay, primarily by MV Clansman. The timetable is therefore a compromise between the needs of three different islands and is irregular across the week and year. This compromise is explored in more detail later in this note.

It should be noted that the versatility of MV Clansman means that she is routinely used around the network in winter for routine drydock cover. When she is not operating the Colonsay, Coll and Tiree routes, several other vessels such as MV Isle of Arran, MV Lord of the Isles and MV Isle of Mull step in.

Step 1: Route Service Level

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

Table 6.1: 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 Oban – Coll / Tiree route to its relevant Route Service Level for both the winter and summer timetables, with commentary provided in the following sections.

Table 6.2: Allocation of Oban – Coll / Tiree 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 Yes No No No No No

In both winter and summer, Coll and Tiree are served by shared vessels. As will be described below, the route becomes a ‘Level B’ in summer because the primary vessel which operates the route, MV Clansman, operates with additional crew to provide the long operating day required to meet the collective needs of Colonsay, Coll and Tiree.

Categorisation of waters

The Oban – Coll / Tiree 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 Oban – Coll / Tiree 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, although a small number of shore-based staff can be added to lengthen the operating day.

Length of operating day

Winter

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week on the Oban – Coll / Tiree route. As previously noted, the service is operated by a vessel shared with the Oban – Colonsay route - for the avoidance of doubt, the table reflects the total hours of the vessel across the week over the different routes it operates, rather than just the Oban – Coll / Tiree route alone.

Table 6.3: MV Clansman – Oban – Coll / Tiree, length of operating day – winter (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 8:45 1:00 10:45
Wednesday 1:00 4:45 1:00 6:45
Thursday 1:00 8:45 1:00 10:45
Friday 1:00 5:15 1:00 7:15
Saturday 1:00 16:20 1:00 18:20
Sunday 1:00 8:45 1:00 10:45
Total 7:00 64:15 7:00 78:15

MV Clansman and substitute vessels operate with a single live aboard crew that can deliver the Coll, Tiree and Colonsay services within the maximum permitted hours. 

Whilst overall hours are comfortably within the weekly maximum, it can be seen from the table above that the Saturday hours exceed those which a single crew can deliver in a day and rest therefore needs to be managed. This is done through rolling rest periods across the day or, in the case of the Deck team, most will be resting for a couple of hours on passage, whilst ensuring sufficient lookouts and watchkeepers are on duty.

Summer

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week on the Oban – Coll / Tiree route. As previously noted, the service is operated by a vessel shared with the Oban – Colonsay route - for the avoidance of doubt, the table reflects the total hours of the vessel across the week over the different routes it operates, rather than just the Oban – Coll / Tiree route alone.

Table 6.4: MV Clansman – Oban – Coll / Tiree, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 1:00 13:50 1:00 15:50
Tuesday 1:00 13:40 1:00 15:40
Wednesday 1:00 14:15 1:00 16:15
Thursday 1:00 14:05 1:00 16:05
Friday 1:00 14:55 1:00 16:55
Saturday 1:00 16:25 1:00 18:25
Sunday 1:00 14:15 1:00 16:15
Total 7:00 101:25 7:00 115:25

MV Clansman operates a much longer and more intense timetable in the summer than she does in the winter, with her hours above those that can be delivered by a single crew. Like her quasi-sister MV Hebrides, MV Clansman has some additional cabins onboard to accommodate additional crew.

In the summer, deck ratings increase from eight to nine, which can be accommodated within the available cabins, and all stay onboard. Retail ratings increase from ten to twelve, with one additional rating accommodated onboard and the other ashore in Oban. The Oban retail rating works a part-day as their hours of rest could not otherwise be accommodated onboard.

As per the winter, crew breaks are staggered across the day to ensure that all crew have the necessary breaks. However, one key difference is that the last sailing on a summer Friday does not arrive into Oban from Colonsay until 21:05, compared to 15:45 in the winter – this makes delivering rest more challenging in the context of the long Saturday operating day. The majority of crew are available until the close of the day on the Friday (21:05 plus close down), which will see them finished and off-duty by 21:30, although slightly later for the Deck and Engine Room teams. To facilitate the 06:20 start on a Saturday, crew will turn to shortly after 05:00, meaning overnight rest is short of the typical ten hours. Crew therefore need a minimum of three hours off on the Saturday, and this is managed through rolling rest periods across the day, as previously described. 

Route specific characteristics

  • With the potential exception of the Small Isles, this is the only route where two major island communities are served on a single sailing. This can make journey times long, particularly to and from Tiree as the service generally calls at Coll on the way to and from that island. However, it also allows for important connections between Coll and its larger neighbour, and provides the ability to make a same day return to Coll for hauliers (Coll does not have its own haulier) supporting the island’s supply-chain
  • 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
  • Tiree has direct flights to Glasgow as part of an aviation Public Service Obligation procured by Scottish Government
  • Hebridean Air Services also provide connections between Coll and Tiree (and vice versa) and Oban. For Coll, this is an important means of conveying secondary school children to and from Oban High School on a weekly basis

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 for Coll and Tiree respectively. It should be noted that various timetables are operated on this route in winter – the ‘core’ winter timetable of 4th January until 8th March 2023 has been used as the basis of the analysis. The ‘first departure’ and ‘last arrival’ shown are those to / from Oban, rather than inter-island movements.

Table 6.5(a): Oban - Coll winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:00 07:00 Not applicable 07:00 Not applicable 06:00 09:00
Last arrival 15:45 15:25 Not applicable 15:25 Not applicable 14:45 17:45
No. of sailings 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Table 6.5(b): Coll - Oban winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 12:50 12:50 Not applicable 12:50 Not applicable 11:50 14:50
Last arrival 09:55 09:55 Not applicable 09:55 Not applicable 08:55 11:55
No. of sailings 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island 02:55 02:55 Nil 02:55 Nil 02:55 02:55
Table 6.6(a): Oban – Tiree winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:00 07:00 Not applicable 07:00 Not applicable 06:00 09:00
Last arrival 15:45 15:25 Not applicable 15:25 Not applicable 22:20 17:45
No. of sailings 1 1 0 1 0 2 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 00:20 Nil
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Table 6.6(b): Tiree - Oban winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 11:35 11:35 Not applicable 11:35 Not applicable 10:35 13:35
Last arrival 11:10 11:10 Not applicable 11:10 Not applicable 18:35 13:10
No. of sailings 1 1 0 1 0 2 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island 00:25 00:25 Nil 00:25 Nil 08:40 00:25

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

  • With exception of a Saturday, all sailings to and from Tiree call at Coll – this adds considerably to journey times when compared to Collachs who have direct sailings to and from Oban. Direct services from Tiree are only available on a Saturday evening. This does however allow the likes of fuel tankers to serve Coll within a day return trip rather than being stranded on the island overnight
  • With the exception of Tiree on a winter Saturday, when there are two sailings, all services are operated on an ‘out and back’ basis. This means that they do not allow for a day-return trip to the mainland, or any meaningful time in Coll or Tiree
  • 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 tables below summarise the first departure, last departure and number of connections per day for Coll and Tiree based on the peak June to August timetable. The ‘first departure’ and ‘last arrival’ shown are those to / from Oban, rather than inter-island movements.

Table 6.7(a): Oban - Coll summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:15 15:00 07:00 07:00 06:10 06:20 07:00
Last arrival 15:25 22:40 21:15 15:10 14:05 22:45 15:10
No. of sailings 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 00:40 Nil
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Table 6.7(b): Coll - Oban summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 12:45 17:55 18:20 12:30 11:10 12:00 12:30
Last arrival 09:55 17:40 09:40 09:40 10:55 19:55 09:40
No. of sailings 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island 02:50 - 08:55 02:50 00:25 11:05 02:50
Table 6.8(a): Oban - Tiree summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:15 15:00 07:00 07:00 06:10 06:20 07:00
Last arrival 15:25 22:40 21:15 15:10 14:05 22:45 15:10
No. of sailings 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 00:40 Nil
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Table 6.8(b): Tiree - Oban summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 11:35 19:20 17:25 11:20 10:00 10:50 11:20
Last arrival 11:05 18:50 10:50 10:50 09:30 18:40 10:50
No. of sailings 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island 00:30 00:30 06:35 00:30 00:30 08:50 00:30

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

  • Almost all of the services from Oban operate on an ‘out and back’ basis, although it is possible to make a meaningful return to Coll and Tiree on a Wednesday and Saturday
  • On a Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, the Oban – Coll / Tiree service operates prior to an Oban – Colonsay rotation, hence the early departure from Oban on those days
  • The sailing order is reversed on a Tuesday, when a Colonsay return sailing is operated first, followed by an Oban – Coll / Tiree rotation in the afternoon
  • On a Wednesday, the early morning departure from Oban continues to Castlebay in Barra, returning via Tiree and then Coll in the evening
  • As per the winter, there is a double rotation on a Saturday, the one key difference being that there is a call at Coll on the return leg from Tiree to Oban

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 early departures to Coll and Tiree in the winter timetable means that there is no connecting public transport with the departing sailings. Conversely, almost all arrivals connect with the 16:11 train from Oban. The same is broadly true in summer, although on a Tuesday and Saturday, there is a later departure from Oban which connects with a train service from Glasgow Queen Street. However, these sailings arrive back into Oban after public transport services have largely finished for the evening
  • Scottish Citylink operates six coach connections per day between Glasgow and Oban. The journey time is approximately three hours
  • There are a range of local bus connections serving Oban and its hinterland, the 918 to Fort William and the number 5 to Appin for example
  • There is no public transport in Coll. Tiree has a “Ring ‘n’ Ride” service but no scheduled public transport
  • Tiree has two daily return flights to and from Glasgow seven days a week. The timetable varies across the year but works broadly on the basis of facilitating a short day return to Glasgow for e.g., health appointments. Sunday flights offer very limited time in Glasgow
  • Hebridean Air also operates flights from Oban to Coll and Tiree:
    • In the summer, there are two rotations per day to Coll from Oban on a Tuesday (via Tiree) and Friday (with the later afternoon departure from Oban operated for school children returning from Oban). There is a single afternoon rotation on a Sunday to get Coll secondary school children to Oban for the school week
    • In the summer, there are two rotations per day to Tiree from Oban on a Tuesday (via Coll) and a Wednesday (via Colonsay)
    • In the winter, there are two rotations to Coll from Oban on a Wednesday. There is also a single rotation on a Saturday and Sunday, which are used to convey children from and to school. The ‘to Coll school flight’ is operated on a Saturday rather than Friday in the winter because of the shorter daylight hours
    • In the winter, there are two rotations per day to Tiree from Oban on a Tuesday (via Coll) and a Wednesday (via Colonsay), the same as in the summer

The figure below shows onward connectivity (drive times) by car from Oban and Coll and Tiree, up to a 120-minute journey time (Castlebay is also shown as a weekly destination for the Oban – Coll / Tiree service). 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 6.1: Onward journey times by car from Oban, Coll and Tiree, as described in text above
Figure 6.1: Onward journey times by car from Oban, Coll and Tiree

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. Note that the data counts individual legs separately, so Oban – Coll, Coll – Tiree, Tiree – Oban, and so forth. It also includes the summer Wednesday Castlebay sailings.

What have been the 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.

2008

  • Whilst well outwith the stated time horizon, it is worth noting that Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was introduced onto the Oban – Coll / Tiree route 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 33% and 37% respectively, significant reductions in both proportional and absolute terms. This can be seen on page 17 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.
  • The introduction of RET led to an 8% increase in passenger carryings and a modest 14% increase in car carryings. Despite the significant reduction in fares, it is likely that the limited service to Coll and Tiree and long journey times suppressed the increase in demand to some degree 
  • In the initial pilot, commercial vehicles were also eligible for RET, and CV carryings increased by 1% after the policy was introduced, although it is unclear if this was caused directly by RET. This can be seen on page 25 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.

2012

  • The RET pilot on the Oban – Coll / Tiree 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

2016

  • MV Clansman was introduced as the primary vessel on the route, following the permanent transfer of MV Lord of the Isles to the Lochboisdale – Mallaig route

2023

  • The ‘Islander Priority Pilot’ was introduced on this route (as well as on Oban – Craignure) and entailed holding back 10% of vehicle deck capacity until 72-hours prior to departure, enabling essential ‘last minute’ resident vehicle travel to be accommodated

How have carryings changed over time?

  • Passenger carryings had been growing steadily prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing by 3% between 2014 and 2019. However, passenger numbers have not fully recovered from the pandemic, standing at only 93% of their 2019 level in 2022
  • Car carryings also grew steadily over the same period and, by 2019, were 14% higher than in 2014. Car carryings have also fully recovered their pre-pandemic level, standing at 105% of their 2019 level in 2022. This growth may in part have been assisted by the introduction of MV Clansman onto the route in 2016, which is a larger vessel than that which she displaced, MV Lord of the Isles
  • CV carryings have been broadly steady over time. RET was introduced on this route in 2008 and thus effects had long since bedded-in prior to the period being analysed here

How has reliability and punctuality changed over time?

  • There has been a steady increase in the number of cancelled sailings on this route. The annual cancellation rate has hovered around 10% since 2018
  • There has however been a marked increase in the number of delayed sailings since 2018, with almost a fifth of sailings each year running late. It should be borne in mind however that the data covers each individual leg of a sailing, so this number is overstated for the route if taken as a whole

Why are sailings cancelled?

  • The last portion of the Oban – Coll / Tiree route, when the vessel exits the Sound of Mull is highly exposed, particularly to prevailing south-westerly winds. It is unsurprising therefore that the vast majority of cancellations each year are caused by adverse weather
  • Cancellations due to mechanical problems are becoming slightly more prevalent on this route, whilst there were several “Scottish Government approved” cancellations in 2021 and 2022, potentially due to the redeployment of vessels to cover breakdowns

Why are sailings delayed?

  • Since 2017, there has been a significant number of sailings delayed by a knock-on delay from a previous sailing. The route assumed its current form in 2016 and these delays are therefore likely to be where an Oban – Coll / Tiree sailing has been preceded by a late running Colonsay sailing, with consequential impacts for each leg of the Oban – Coll / Tiree route
  • As with cancellations, adverse weather is a prominent cause of delays on the route. There is a range of other factors which cause delay but none of them are particularly significant in their own right

How many days per year do services operate to timetable?

  • The weather affected nature of the Oban – Coll / Tiree route has meant that the number of sailing days that have operated to timetable (i.e., all sailings on that day arrived on time) is variable across the years, ranging from just 51% in 2019 to 71% in 2017
  • The number of individual sailings (or, more accurately, sailing legs) operated to time has followed a broadly similar pattern. This is to be expected given that there is only a single rotation on all days except a summer Saturday. The overall numbers are however higher (e.g., 67% in 2019 and 86% in 2017), which suggests that it is only delays on one or two individual legs of the route that cause the sailing to be late overall

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

2014-2022

  • The utilisation data suggest that there is rarely a vehicle capacity problem on this route. In 2022, only circa one fifth of sailings had a utilisation over 75%, with a very small percentage effectively full
  • This overall statistic does not however fully account for the multi-leg nature of the route. It may be for example that the leg between Coll and Tiree shows a very low utilisation, but there may have been frustrated demand from Oban to Tiree as the Oban – Coll leg was full (with Coll generally the first calling point). Shipped and landed data would need to be examined to determine the extent to which this is the case

2022 by month

  • Analysis of capacity utilisation by month highlights that vehicle deck capacity is most pressured from June to August and also when MV Clansman is either in drydock or providing drydock cover elsewhere on the network (meaning one of the smaller vessels such as MV Lord of the Isles is deployed to the Oban – Coll / Tiree run)
  • Whilst vehicle-deck capacity overall does not appear to be a major issue, there will be specific sailings where high-levels of utilisation are consistently a problem, for example a summer Saturday (for self-catering accommodation changeover) and on Tiree mart days