MV Canna is a car ferry built for 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...

 in 1975. She is now owned by 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...

 and by operated by Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd on the Ballycastle

Ballycastle, County Antrim

Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....

 to Rathlin Island

Rathlin Island

Rathlin Island is an island off the coast of County Antrim, and is the northernmost point of Northern Ireland. Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland, with a rising population of now just over 100 people, and is the most northerly inhabited island off the Irish coast...

 route in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

History

MV Canna was the seventh Island Class ferry built for Caledonian MacBrayne. She was re-engined at Timbacraft, Shandon.

In May 2009, MV Canna became the first CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd) ship to receive its Inventory of Hazardous Materials

Inventory of hazardous materials

An Inventory of Hazardous Materials is one of the requirements of the Hong Kong convention for the ‘safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships’ which was adopted in May 2009...

 (Green Passport).

Layout

The eight Island Class ferries, built between 1972 and 1976, were a very simple design, based on World War II landing craft. They had a two-part folding ramp at the bow, an open plan car deck incorporating a small turntable immediately aft and a sheltered area of passenger accommodation at the stern. The wheelhouse was above the passenger accommodation and the main mast above the ramp at the bow. A radar mast sat on top of the bridge, just forward of the small funnel and engine exhaust.

Service

MV Canna entered service on the Raasay

Raasay

Raasay is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. It is separated from Skye by the Sound of Raasay and from Applecross by the Inner Sound. It is most famous for being the birthplace of the poet Sorley MacLean, an important figure in the Scottish literary renaissance...

 route in January 1976, initially from Portree

Portree

Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....

, but this soon changed to a shorter crossing from Sconser

Sconser

Sconser is a small crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier....

. After only 3 months she was moved to the Lochaline

Lochaline

Lochaline is the main village in Morvern. It is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore. Lochaline is connected with Fishnish on the Isle of Mull by ferry....

 crossing to Mull

Isle of Mull

The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....

, where she remained for the next ten years. In 1986 MV Loch Linnhe

MV Loch Linnhe

MV Loch Linnhe is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1986 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne After over ten years at Largs, she has been the summer vessel on the Tobermory – Kilchoan crossing since 1999.-History:...

 and then the larger MV Isle of Cumbrae

MV Isle of Cumbrae

MV Isle of Cumbrae is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1976 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. For ten years she was at Largs and has been on the Loch Fyne crossing since 1999.-Layout:...

 replaced Canna.

After two years as spare vessel, Canna spent seven years crossing between Kyles Scalpay on Harris and the slipway on Scalpay - a crossing of just three minutes. In April 1997 she took over the Ballycastle

Ballycastle, County Antrim

Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....

 - Rathlin crossing in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, initially operated by Calmac. In 2008 Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd took over the service, leasing the vessel from Caledonian Maritime Assets.