A cutting edge ferry, which is the third of CalMac’s three unique ‘hybrid’ vessels, was launched in late December 2015 on the Clyde at Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd’s (FMEL) shipyard in Port Glasgow. The new ferries are designed to operate on many of the short crossing routes around the Clyde and Hebrides and the route for this ferry will be announced by CalMac Ferries Ltd early in 2016. The first hybrid ferry, the MV HALLAIG, was launched in December 2011 and services the Sconser to Raasay route on the Isle of Skye. MV Lochinvar, the second hybrid ferry runs from Tarbert to Portavadie on the Kintyre peninsual and launched in May 2013. Their low-carbon hybrid system is leading to a reduction in fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Operational experience has shown, from analysis of MV HALLAIG, that the hybrid vessels are capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 38% compared to a conventionally powered vessel of the same size. The reduction of fuel consumption will result in a decrease in CO2 emissions in excess of 5,500 tonnes per vessel over their lifetime with a proportionally similar decrease in sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions.
