Names for new ferries – Isle of Islay and Loch Indaal

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), has announced the names of two new ferries set to serve Islay and Jura, chosen by the public via an online vote.

The names, ‘Isle of Islay’ and ‘Loch Indaal’, stood out as favourites amongst more than 1,300 votes cast.

The shortlist of names, each carrying strong ties to the local landscape and history, was the subject of a lively two-week vote.

Kevin Hobbs, Chief Executive of CMAL, warmly appreciated the public’s active participation in the voting process. “We had an excellent response to our public naming vote, and I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone who got involved. We had a strong list of names to choose from, with Isle of Islay and Loch Indaal coming out on top as clear favourites amongst voters,” Hobbs shared.

CMAL anticipates delivery of the first ferry by the end of 2024 and the second one by early 2025. “Work is progressing well at Cemre Shipyard on the sister ferries, and we look forward to seeing Isle of Islay and Loch Indaal out on the network serving communities in the not-too-distant future,” Hobbs added.

Kevin Stewart, Minister for Transport, expressed his pleasure at the chosen names for the new vessels. “It’s great to see the public choose two fitting names for these new ferries, and I very much look forward to seeing the MV Isle of Islay and MV Loch Indaal enter service on the Islay routes,” said Stewart.

Stewart emphasised the significance of these ferries for local island communities, underlining the Scottish Government’s commitment to upgrading ferry services. “These links are some of the busiest services for freight on the Clyde and Hebrides network so the vessels will bring welcome additional capacity, reliability, and resilience for our island communities,” he added.

The new vessels, in line with the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment, are designed to meet the anticipated demand for freight and passenger transport. Each will have a capacity of up to 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 commercial vehicles.

This would represent a combined increase of 40% in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes and significantly bolster the resilience of the broader fleet.