MV Loch Alainn 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 built in 1997 and operated by and 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...

 for a new service from Fishnish

Fishnish

Fishnish is a ferry terminal for the ferry on the Isle of Mull, roughly half way between Tobermory and Craignure. It is owned and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne...

 to 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....

. Berthing problems meant she was soon replaced by . After a decade of service at Largs, she now operates across the Sound of Barra.

History

Loch Alainn was built for the new service from Fishnish

Fishnish

Fishnish is a ferry terminal for the ferry on the Isle of Mull, roughly half way between Tobermory and Craignure. It is owned and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne...

 to 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....

. Launched in April 1997, she entered service in July. After just three weeks on her intended route, she developed a serious engine failure and was towed to dry dock on the Clyde, never to return to her intended route. In January 1999, she lost steering power approaching Largs slipway and was blown into the pier. Superficial damage required further time off for repairs.

Layout

Loch Alainn is essentially a larger version of the 1996 . Her car deck can take four lanes of cars, with a passenger lounge on the starboard side and an open deck directly above that. The bridge is suspended over the car deck.

Service

Loch Alainn entered service in July 1997, on the Colintraive

Colintraive

Colintraive is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Ferries sail between Colintraive and Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute. It is located on the Kyles of Bute or Loch Riddon on the west coast of the Cowal peninsula...

 – Rhubodach

Rhubodach

Rhubodach is a small settlement on the north-eastern shore of the Isle of Bute, Scotland.The name Rhubodach may come from the Gaelic Rubha a’ Bhodaich which translates as old man's point or promontory or alternatively may be from An Rubha Bhódaich meaning the Bute headland.Rhubodach lies at the...

 route, allowing to move to Largs

Largs

Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....

. After a short while she moved to the Sound of Mull

Sound of Mull

The Sound of Mull is a sound between the Inner Hebridean island of Mull and Scotland. It forms part of the Atlantic Ocean....

 to take over her intended route, the Fishnish – Lochaline crossing, while moved south to Colintraive. With a slightly deeper draught than her predecessor, she had problems at low tide at Fishnish. Her ramps required modification soon after her arrival. After just three weeks, she broke down with a serious engine failure and was towed to dry dock on the Clyde.
After repairs, Loch Alainn re-entered service on the Colintraive service in February 1998. She then moved to Largs

Largs

Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....

, becoming the main Cumbrae vessel from 14 May, with joining her through the summers. For a decade, until June 2007, she provided this service, with relief for overhaul from .

In 200x Loch Alainn provided an emergency, round-the-clock service on the Tarbert

Tarbert, Argyll and Bute

Tarbert is a village in Scotland. It is built around East Loch Tarbert, an inlet of Loch Fyne, and extends over the isthmus which links the peninsula of Kintyre to Knapdale and West Loch Tarbert...

 - Portavadie

Portavadie

Portavadie is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.The Portavadie complex was built with the help of local labour from the fishing village 'Tarbert' that lay due west across Loch Fyne. The locals from Tarbert who worked there were told that oil had been found on the west shores Loch...

 crossing, following a landslide which completely blocked the A83 road

A83 road

The A83 is a major road in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, running from Tarbet, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82, to Campbeltown at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula.-Route:...

 north of Tarbert, leaving Kintyre

Kintyre

Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...

 isolated.

Early 2007, she underwent successful berthing trials at Ardmhor

Ardmore, Barra

Ardmhor is a small village in the north east of the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.In 2002 a small ferry port was built in the village to serve a new ferry link between Barra and Eriskay as part of the Sound of Barra Integrated Transport Project. The ferry service started in spring...

 and Eriskay

Eriskay

Eriskay , from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is connected to South Uist by a causeway which was opened in 2001. In the same year Eriskay became the ferry terminal for...

 in the Western Isles. She was to be replaced at Largs, by the new and left the Clyde on 2 July. Loch Alainn became the dedicated Sound of Barra ferry, replacing the on this increasingly busy route. In winter months, she became the Loch Class relief ferry, covering the overhauls of (Lochaline - Fishnish), (Colintraive - Rhubodach) and (Cumbrae).