MV Loch Sunart

MV Loch Sunart (ex-Gemeente Pont 23 then Sound of Scalpay) was a car and passenger ferry, originally operated in Amsterdam, and then by Western Ferries across the Firth of Clyde between Gourock and Dunoon in Scotland until October 2013. In 2018, Loch Sunart was converted into an ROV support vessel and is now owned by Caldive.

History
United Kingdom
Name:
  • Loch Sunart
  • 1996-2015: Sound of Scalpay
  • 1962-1994: Gemeente Pont 23
Namesake: Loch Sunart and Scalpay
Owner: Caldive
Operator:
Route:
Builder: Arnhemsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij N.V., Arnhem, Netherlands[1]
Yard number: 403
In service: 1962[2]
Out of service: 2013
Homeport: Glasgow
Identification:
Status: laid up in Fort William
General characteristics
Class and type: ROV Support Vessel
Type: roll-on/roll-off ferry
Tonnage:
Length: 48.43 m (158.9 ft)[3]
Beam: 13.87 m (45.5 ft)
Draught: 2.7 m
Installed power:

i) diesel-electric machinery

ii) 2x Caterpillar 3408TA of 486bhp / 358kw each
Propulsion:

i) Twin screw

ii) 2x Holland Roer Propeller azimuth propulsion units
Speed: 9 knots
Capacity: was 34 cars
Complement: was 220 Passengers
Crew: 4

History

Gemeente Pont 23 was built in Arnhem, Netherlands in 1962, for Amsterdam City Council.[1]

In the mid 1990s, she and her near sister Gemeente Pont 24 were purchased by Western Ferries for service on the Clyde. They were overhauled at Greenock and renamed Sound of Scalpay and Sound of Sanda before entering service at McInroy's Point.[6]

On the acquisition of two brand new ferries in October 2013, Scalpay and Sound of Sanda were sold to The Underwater Centre, Fort William, Highland for conversion to dive barges for the training of commercial divers.[7] Scalpay was converted into an ROV support vessel and renamed Loch Sunart.

In October 2018, The Underwater Centre ceased trading and entered administration.[8] Loch Sunart was purchased at auction by Caldive of Invergordon at the start of 2019 and laid up with her sister ship Loch Scavaig at Fort William.

Layout

Sound of Scalpay had a single car deck with bow and stern ramps. The crossing was so short that many passengers stayed in their vehicles, but side viewing decks and passenger cabins were available.[6]

Service

Gemeentepont 23 operated from Amsterdam CS to Buiksloterweg in Amsterdam-Noord (now route NH25) between 1962 and 1994.[2]

In July 1995, as Sound of Scalpay, she entered service on Western Ferries' Clyde service between McInroy's Point (Gourock) and Hunters Quay (Dunoon), replacing the former Sealink ferry Sound of Seil.[1] Scalpay and Sanda operated this service until 2013.

Footnotes
  1. "Fleet". Western Ferries. Archived from the original on 19 September 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. "Ferries in The Netherlands" (in Dutch). Wim Kusee. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. "Sound Of Scalpay (IMO: 8928882)". vesseltracker.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  4. "Ships Index - S". World Shipping Register. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  5. "Sound Of Scalpay IMO: 8928882". Shipspotting. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  6. "Western Ferries". Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  7. "Western Ferries boats leaving for new life at Fort William". forargyll.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. "The Underwater Centre Closes Its Doors". Divernet. 21 October 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
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