The SNP has been accused of causing ‘chaos’ for islanders with more than 5,000 sailings a year cancelled by the state-run ferry operator because of breakdowns.
CalMac was forced to ditch 16,039 sailings between January 2023 and the end of October this year due to ‘technical faults’ with its ageing fleet, according to latest figures.
Faults accounted for almost half the 36,707 cancellations over the period, with most of the rest due to the weather.
Jamie Greene, transport spokesman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: ‘These figures reveal just how much chaos the SNP are causing.
‘Our island communities are being treated as second class citizens, lacking the basic right to access the same public services as mainland Scots.’
Mr Greene said that communities, such as Cumbrae, in his own West Scotland region had ‘suffered endless disruption’.
The Glen Sannox ferry has endured a saga of costly delays and technical problems
Lib Dem transport spokesman Jamie Greene has criticised the SNP over ferry failures
He added: ‘The SNP’s failure to deliver new lifeline ferries has anchored islanders with an ageing fleet in constant need of repair, at constant risk of cancellation and costing millions in repair bills.’
The figures show not a single route was unaffected by technical faults, with all 30 seeing at least 31 cancellations.
The journeys with the most technical fault cancellations were Gourock to Dunoon with 6,180, Tarbert Loch Fyne to Portavadie (2,206), and Mallaig to Armadale (1,284).
Mallaig to Lochboisdale saw 21 per cent of sailings axed because of breakdowns, while Kennacraig to Islay/Colonsay/Oban, and Tarbert Loch Fyne to Lochranza both had 17 per cent of sailings cancelled.
The Scottish Government is the sole shareholder in both CalMac and the state-owned ferry procurement body CMAL.
Last week it emerged the second of two CalMac ferries ordered by SNP ministers in 2015 for £97million had been delayed yet again.
Due in 2018, the MV Glen Rosa, which was delayed in May this year from September to mid-2026, was postponed another six months until the end of next year.
Already expected to cost £185million, a further price hike will be announced in January.
Delivery of the MV Isle of Islay, which is being built in Turkey, had been due by Christmas. But last week it emerged that the date has been pushed back into next year.
CalMac said: ‘Only a tiny percentage – 3 per cent – of all sailings since 2023 have been cancelled due to technical reasons, with weather continuing to be the main reason for a cancellation.
‘More than 92 per cent of sailings were successfully completed during this period.
‘Technical problems do happen with an ageing fleet and in operating that fleet in increasingly challenging weather.
‘However, the arrival of five major and seven small vessels by 2029 will improve the reliability and resilience of services across the network.’
The government said: ‘We are investing in six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year …We know that Scotland’s island communities face distinct challenges.
‘That is why we have opened the £4.4million Islands Business Resilience Fund to help address issues, such as travel disruption, that can have a disproportionate impact.’