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Ferry suffered control pitch issue
A freight sailing of the 'Arrow', serving on the rote Heyaham-Douglas, was cancelled on Aug 6 due to technical issues with the vessel. Engineers were called to rectify the fault at the berth in Douglas, Isle of Man, ahead of next crossing scheduled for Aug 9. However, the 'Arrow' had enter dry dock at Cammell Laird/Balaena in Birkenhead on Aug 9, after an oil leak was identified in one of the vessel's control pitch propellor systems. The ship was expected to return to service after repairs on Aug 16.
Ferry chartered by Balfour Beatty
The ' Arrow' has been taken on long-term charter by the UK-based international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty to provide dedicated logistics support for SSEN Transmission’s Lewis Hub and Western Isles High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link in Scotland. The charter of a dedicated vessel for the project will not only strengthen project delivery, but will also help safeguard Caledonian MacBrayne's (CalMac's) existing Stornoway-Ullapool ferry service. The ship was currently coming to the end of a 12-month charter to DFDS, with the charter expiring on March 24, 2026. The Lewis Hub is a major energy project that will connect Scotland's Western Isles to Great Britain's mainland transmission network for the first time, using subsea cables. The Lewis Hub is a key part of the Western Isles HVDC Connection Project to establish a high voltage subsea and underground transmission link. A “release mechanism” in the charter will allow the ' Arrow' to be used by other companies when not required by SSEN Transmission, boosting resilience across the island’s essential lifeline ferry network, including during drydocking and scheduled maintenance of CalMac’s 'Loch Seaforth', which maintains the Stornoway-Ullapool link. The charter of the ' Arriw' followed close co-operation with Stornoway Port, Comhairle nan Eilean Scar and Ullapool Harbour Trust, with additional support from Transport Scotland, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and CalMac, working together to identify freight solutions that avoid adding pressure to existing ferry services.
Roro vessel sub-chartered from DFDS
CalMac has sub-chartered the 'Arrow' from DFDS. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company-owned vessel will be used to secure the necessary freight capacity onthe Stornoway–Ullapool route while the route’s regular ferry 'Loch Seaforth' undergoes a scheduled docking from Oct 19 to Nov 15, 2025. the passenger capacity on the Stornoway–Ullapool route during this period will be provided by the ferry 'Isle of Lewis'', which will be brought in from the Oban–Castlebay route. Inserting the 'Arrow' allows to keep freight and passenger services running smoothly while optimising fleet deployment across the network. It also provides some additional resilience ahead of the unpredictable winter season.
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