MV Lochnevis
Encyclopedia
MV Lochnevis is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland and the Clyde Estuary.CMAL is wholly owned by the Scottish Government, with Scottish Ministers as sole shareholders.-History:Until...

 ferry, launched in 2000 and operating in the Small Isles
Small Isles
The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...

 of Scotland. She is currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...


History

The
Lochnevis was launched by Sarah Boyack
Sarah Boyack
Sarah Boyack MSP is a Scottish Labour MSP for the Lothian region and formerly constituency MSP for Edinburgh Central in the Scottish Parliament....

 and Captain John MacArthur at Ailsa Shipbuilding, Troon on 6 May 2000 and entered service on 1 November 2001.

Layout

Lochnevis
large stern vehicle ramp dominates her appearance. This allows her to berth a considerable distance from a slipway, protecting her exposed azi-pod propulsion
Azimuth thruster
An azimuth thruster is a configuration of ship propellers placed in pods that can be rotated in any horizontal direction, making a rudder unnecessary...

 systems in shallow waters. She can hold 190 passengers and 14 cars. The car deck is also used for goods for the islands. The starboard gangway entrance is used at Canna.

Forward of the car deck is crew accommodation, with the cafeteria, serving area and galley above. On the next deck, the observation lounge has seating arranged diagonally. Officers accommodation lies forward of the lounge, while heavy side doors lead to the open deck.

Passengers can enjoy the view ahead from an open bow - a rarity on current Western Isles ferries. Aft of the lounge is outside seating, again laid out in a diagonal arrangement. Further aft are the fast rescue craft (port) and a single funnel and the hydraulic goods crane (starboard). The bridge, above the lounge, was designed by Captain John MacArthur and the Chief Engineer at the time. It provides all-round visibility.

Service

Lochnevis replaced the 20-year old on the Small Isles
Small Isles
The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...

 service. She serves the islands of Eigg
Eigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...

, Canna
Canna, Scotland
Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...

, Rùm
Rùm
Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...

 and Muck
Muck, Scotland
Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It measures roughly 2.5 miles east to west and has a population of around 30, mostly living near the harbour at Port Mòr. The other settlement on the island is the farm at Gallanach...

 from Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...

, taking 7 hours for a round of the four islands, compared with ten hours by her predecessor. Initially, Lochnevis, like Lochmor, at islands apart from Canna, was met by a ferry boat. In the years following her introduction, new piers and slipways have been built on all the islands, allowing Lochnevis to berth stern-in.

During the winter, Lochnevis adds the Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...

 – Armadale
Armadale, Isle of Skye
Armadale is a village near the southern end of the Sleat Peninsula, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Like most of Sleat, but unlike most of Skye, the area is fairly fertile, and though there are hills, most do not reach a great height...

roster, while is on the Clyde. In the early years, she was relieved by , but since that vessel's sale, and various charter boats have been used.
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