MV Chieftain

MV Chieftain, ex-Seabus, is a passenger ferry built in 2007 for the Gourock to Kilcreggan service on the Firth of Clyde.

Chieftain at Gourock
History
United Kingdom
Name: MV Seabus
Owner: Clyde Marine Services
Operator: Caledonian MacBrayne
Port of registry: Greenock
Route: Gourock – Kilcreggan ferry
Builder: Voyager Boatyard, Millbrook, near Plymouth[1]
Christened: 30 March 2007 at Kilcreggan Pier.
Maiden voyage: 1 April 2007
Identification:
Notes: designed by Jonathan Graham CEng MRINA
General characteristics
Tonnage: 60 GT
Length: 19.5 m (64.0 ft)[2]
Beam: 6.2 m (20.3 ft)
Installed power: 2x 180 hp Gardner diesel engines[2]
Speed: 10.2 (max) / 8.6 knots
Capacity: 100 passengers
Seabus in SPT livery

History

MV Seabus was built in Cornwall, in 2007 as a 'dedicated' passenger ferry to replace the 71-year-old MV Kenilworth on the service between Gourock, Kilcreggan and Helensburgh, across the Firth of Clyde (Tail of the Bank).[1] Seabus operated the main ferry service to Kicreggan, with crossings of Gare Loch to Helensburgh. The service is subsidised by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). After re-tendering, the contract for the Gourock - Kilcreggan service was awarded to Clydelink and the Helensburgh part of the then 'triangular' route ceased.

To operate the contract, Clydelink bought the smaller MV Island Princess from Lymington, where she had been a harbour excursion vessel. She was sailed north to commence the 'new' service on 1 April 2012.[3] The change was unpopular with a loss of jobs but continued until 2018.[4]

The contract was taken away from Clydelink and returned to Clyde Marine, who resumed the Gourock to Kilcreggan ferry service on 14 May 2018 with Seabus, then renamed Chieftain[5] in blue livery.[6] After negotiations, CalMac took over the contract from 1 June 2020, leasing Chieftain from Clyde Marine and giving crew the option of transferring to the new operator.[7]

Layout
Improved seating on the top deck, in full use in summer 2018.

MV Seabus brought a greater degree of comfort and safety to the route with a sealed and heated passenger cabin. Larger, roomier and more comfortable than her predecessor, she has better facilities for people with mobility problems.[1]

Service

Footnotes
  1. "End of an era on the Clyde ferry scene". Shipping Times. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  2. "New vessel sets sail on the Gourock-Kilcreggan-Helensburgh service". SPT. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  3. "Argyll News: Inaugural Clydelink Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry service". For Argyll. 1 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  4. "Ferry fears spark protest at historic Kilcreggan Pier". BBC News. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  5. "MV Chieftain (III)". Unofficial CalMac Website. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  6. "IN Pictures -- First Day Of Ferry Route's New Operator". Inverclyde Now: Shipping News. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  7. "June date for CalMac to take over Kilcreggan ferry". The Lochside Press. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
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