 Leaving Tobermory for Kilchoan, 8 May 2017. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | West Loch Tarbert |
| Owner | Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited |
| Operator | Caledonian MacBrayne |
| Port of registry | Glasgow |
| Route | Tobermory -Kilchoan |
| Builder | J W Miller & Sons Ltd,St Monans[1] |
| Yard number | 1046 |
| Launched | 20 February 1992[2] |
| In service | 25 July 1992 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | ro-ro vehicle ferry |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 30.2 m (99 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Draught | 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 ×Voith Schneider Propellers |
| Speed | 9 kn (17 km/h) |
| Capacity | 142 passengers and 17 cars |
| Crew | 3 |
MVLoch Tarbert (Scottish Gaelic:Loch an Tairbeirt) is aCaledonian Maritime Assets Limitedro-ro car ferry, built in 1992 and currently operated byCaledonian MacBrayne. She has spent most of her career on the seasonalClaonaig –Lochranza crossing.
MVLoch Tarbert was built in 1992 by JW Miller & Sons Ltd ofSt Monans,[1] followingMV Loch Buie's launch there the previous year.[5]
Loch Tarbert is a variant onMV Isle of Cumbrae's design. Her car deck has capacity for 18 cars. Passenger accommodation for 150 passengers is in a starboard lounge and on two outer decks.[4] A large funnel on the opposite side to her wheelhouse is painted in CalMac livery.[4]
MVLoch Tarbert replacedMV Loch Ranza on the seasonalClaonaig –Lochranza crossing in July 1992, operating this crossing in summers until 2016.[4] In winters, she has relieved atIona,Fishnish,Colintraive andLargs. She provided additional dangerous loads sailings fromLargs toLochranza until the service fromTarbert toArran started.
In early 1996, she opened the newOtternish –Leverburgh route across theSound of Harris, awaiting newMV Loch Bhrusda. During a seaman's strike in 2000, Arran traffic was diverted to theLoch Fyne andClaonaig crossings.Loch Tarbert was joined byMV Isle of Cumbrae to cope with the traffic.[4]At the end of recent summers,Loch Tarbert has moved toTarbert to start a winter service toPortavadie, with a lunchtime sailing to Arran. The service is usually taken over by one of the smaller Loch Class.Loch Tarbert usually relieves atLargs, however spends most of the winter as a spare vessel.[4]
Loch Tarbert was replaced on the Claonaig–Lochranza crossing in September 2016 by theMV Catriona – the third of Caledonian MacBrayne's hybrid ferries – and she became a spare/relief vessel that winter.[6] In summer 2017,Loch Tarbert became the dedicated vessel on the Tobermory to Kilchoan route owing to rising vehicle traffic on that route.Loch Tarbert displacedMV Loch Linnhe in the process.
In January and February 2022,Loch Tarbert operated a temporary timetable of two to three return sailings per day from Tarbert to Lochranza, Arran. This was in response to a temporary COVID-19-related timetable on the Ardrossan - Brodick route operated byMV Hebridean Isles, to alleviate capacity issues from the absence ofMV Caledonian Isles. This temporary timetable was extended whenCaledonian Isles' return from annual overhaul was delayed.[7]
In March 2024,Loch Tarbert experienced technical difficulties and was relieved byLoch Linnhe.[8] On return to service, she was deployed to the Tarbert to Portavadie route, in place ofIsle of Cumbrae which had been redeployed to Largs following damage toMV Loch Shira's ramps.[9] In May,Loch Tarbert herself saw service at Largs alongsideLoch Bhrusda afterIsle of Cumbrae experienced technical difficulties.[10] Service at Tarbert was taken up byLoch Riddon, withLoch Linnhe continuing to coverLoch Tarbert's normal roster at Tobermory.
Media related toLoch Tarbert (ship, 1992) at Wikimedia Commons