CalMac publishes annual overhaul schedule

CalMac has published its annual overhaul schedule for the winter period 2023/24, which will involve all 35 vessels spending a legally required period in dry dock for planned maintenance.

This year’s programme has increased from 647 days last year to 668, demonstrating a commitment to ensuring all required works can be carried out effectively to reduce the chance of in-service breakdowns.

Several vessels will be subject to an extended annual maintenance period. This is needed to meet the requirements for a peak of scheduled maintenance and survey work, which is in keeping with the fleet age profile.

Pauline Blackshaw, CalMac's Director of Strategy and Change, said: “The annual overhaul programme ensures that our vessels are as resilient as possible to cope with the challenging waters of the west coast. This winter, multiple vessels will be required to cover single routes, which will lead to challenges across the network.

“Occasionally, emergent work is discovered during annual maintenance, leading to a delay in the vessel returning to service. This occurred early in 2023 due to a combination of technical defects and the subsequent impact on the planned annual maintenance period schedule. We understand that customers may be anxious about this happening again, in which case, we will stay in close contact with them to ensure that they are kept up to date about developments.

“Please be assured that we have planned the annual maintenance period with as much detail and consideration as possible, based on our knowledge of the vessels, and we are continuously monitoring the progress over each maintenance period closely.”

Access the overhaul schedule on the CalMac website.

Please note that the overhaul schedule is subject to change.