MV Isle of Lewis
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | MV Isle of Lewis |
| Namesake: | Lewis |
| Owner: | Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited |
| Operator: | Caledonian MacBrayne |
| Port of registry: | Glasgow |
| Route: | Oban - Castlebay |
| Ordered: | 22 September 1993 |
| Builder: | Ferguson Shipbuilders, Port Glasgow |
| Yard number: | 608 |
| Laid down: | 23 February 1994 |
| Launched: | 18 April 1995 |
| Christened: | by Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy |
| Completed: | 26 July 1995 |
| Maiden voyage: | 31 July 1995 |
| Identification: |
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| Status: | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 6,753 GT |
| Length: | 101.25 metres (332.2 ft) |
| Beam: | 18.52 metres (60.8 ft) |
| Draught: | 4.19 metres (13.7 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 x Mirrlees Blackstone K6 Major, 2 x Ulstein 1500 AGSC gearboxes |
| Speed: | 18.0 knots (20.7 mph) (service) |
| Capacity: | 680 passengers, 123 cars |
| Crew: | 32 |
MV Isle of Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Leòdhais) is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited-owned ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Oban and Castlebay. She is currently one of only two ships over 100 metres (328 ft) in length in the CalMac fleet, with the other, Loch Seaforth, being longer by almost 15 metres.
Originally built in 1995 for the service between Ullapool and Stornoway, Isle of Lewis made occasional visits to the Uig, Lochmaddy & Tarbert triangular services and to Oban and Castlebay in response to disruptions or emergencies during 2015. As of 2016[update], she serves the Isle of Barra, which received its first proper daily dedicated service as a result of Isle of Lewis' deployment there.
MV Isle of Lewis was built by Ferguson Shipbuilders in Port Glasgow on the Clyde and entered service in July 1995. At present she is the largest ship ever built by Ferguson's. Her crossing time of around 2 hours and 45 minutes improved upon that of her predecessor, MV Suilven, by at least 45 minutes.
With ever increasing traffic on the crossing, there was speculation that MV Isle of Lewis might be replaced by a larger vessel. In September 2013 the freight vessel Clipper Ranger was chartered to relieve pressure on the route. On 10 June 2012, it was announced that a new £42 million replacement ferry was to be built in Germany. The new 116 metre long ROPAX ferry was named Loch Seaforth and is capable of continuous operation, with a capacity for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles. Loch Seaforth entered service in mid-February 2015 and took over both passenger and freight duties on the route. Since moving to the Barra service in March 2016, Isle of Lewis has been relegated to the role of Stornoway relief ship each October when Loch Seaforth departs for overhaul, with a second relief ship taking care of overnight freight traffic, owing to Isle of Lewis's inability to carry certain hazardous cargo due to her fully enclosed and sealed car deck.
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Wikipedia