Caledonian MacBrayne (Scottish Gaelic: Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsidiary of holding company David MacBrayne, which is owned by the Scottish Government.^[5]

Its predecessor, the government owned Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, was formed in 1973 as a ferry owner and operator. In 2006 these functions were separated to meet EU requirements for competitive tendering. The company, renamed Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL), continued to own the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet and assets. The contract for operating Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services using these vessels was put out to open competitive tender. and CalMac Ferries Ltd was created in October 2006 as a separate company to bid for the work.^[5] CalMac was awarded the contract, as well as a later competitive procurement process, and since 1 October 2007 has operated the services.^[6]

CalMac operates 33 vessels to over 50 ports and harbours on the west coast of Scotland (CMAL owns 16 of these ports and harbours). Caledonian MacBrayne operate on average over 162,700 sailings annually. 2018 was the company's busiest in terms of passenger numbers, carrying an estimated 5,309,771 passengers.^[4][7]

The company enjoys a de facto monopoly on the shipment of freight and vehicles to the islands, and competes for passenger traffic with a number of aircraft services of varying quality and reliability. Nonetheless, few if any of the routes currently operated by CalMac are profitable, and the company receives significant government subsidies due to its vital role in supplying the islands: these routes are classified as "lifeline" services. In 1996, CalMac opened its first route outside Scotland, winning a ten-year contract to provide a lifeline service to Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland. This service continued until 2008, when CalMac lost the tender.^[12]

Various versions of a local poem (based loosely on Psalm 24) refer to MacBrayne's long dominance of Hebridean sailings:

The Earth belongs unto the Lord
And all that it contains
Except the Kyles and the Western Isles
And they are all MacBrayne's

Several groups have proposed privatising the service, and there has been a long commercial and political struggle with a privately owned company, Western Ferries, which has run a rival unsubsidised service from Gourock to Hunters Quay (near Dunoon) since 1973. In 2005, the Scottish Executive put the collective Hebrides routes out to competitive tender, with the Dunoon route being a separate tender.^[13] Some island and union groups opposed the tendering process, fearing it would lead to cuts in services and could be a prelude to full privatisation.

During the tendering period, the company of David MacBrayne Ltd, which had been legally dormant for many years, was re-activated on 4 July 2006. David MacBrayne Group Ltd acquired the full share capital of NorthLink Ferries Ltd, and took over operations of the NorthLink routes on 6 July 2006. Three operators submitted bids for the block of routes,^[14] but CalMac retained all its existing routes. During September 2006, David MacBrayne Group Ltd acquired the entire share capital of CalMac Ferries Ltd. Thus, from leaving the hands of David MacBrayne 78 years earlier in 1928, the west coast ferry service returned to the fold in 2006, vastly enlarged.

At the time, no bids were made for the separate Gourock–Dunoon route and the service continued as before. In August 2006, David MacBrayne Group Ltd directed two of its subsidiary companies, Cowal Ferries Ltd and Rathlin Ferries Ltd, to take over operation of the Gourock to Dunoon, and Rathlin to Ballycastle services. Following a European Commission decision not to subsidise a passenger and vehicle service, the route was again put out to tender. In May 2011, Argyll Ferries Ltd, a newly formed subsidiary of David MacBrayne, was named as the preferred bidder for a passenger-only Dunoon-Gourock service. The timetable was extended into the early hours at weekends, with additional sailings integrated with rail services. Two passenger-only ferries, MV Ali Cat and MV Argyll Flyer (formerly MV Banrion Chonomara), were arranged for the run.^[15] When the service began on 30 June 2011, preparation of the Argyll Flyer was incomplete, and as an interim measure the cruise boat MV Clyde Clipper was leased from Clyde Cruises.^[16]

Argyll Ferries was incorporated into Caledonian MacBrayne on 21 January 2019.^[17]

On 14 July 2009, it was announced that CalMac would begin Sunday sailings to Stornoway on Lewis from Sunday 19 July. These had historically faced strong opposition from Sabbatarian elements in the Lewis community, particularly the Lord's Day Observance Society and the Free Church of Scotland. However, CalMac stated that EU equality legislation made it unlawful to refuse a service to the whole community because of the religious beliefs of a part of it.^[18]

Vessels are owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and operated by CalMac Ferries Ltd. There are 34 vessels in current service, with ten "major units" – ships of 80 m (262 ft) or more in length. The largest is MV Loch Seaforth at 116 m (381 ft) in length. MV Finlaggan is almost 90 m (295 ft) long and able to carry 550 passengers with 88 cars.^[38] She was built in Poland at a cost of £24.5 million and operates the Islay service.^[39] The others are MV Isle of Lewis, MV Clansman, MV Hebrides, MV Caledonian Isles, MV Isle of Mull, MV Hebridean Isles, MV Isle of Arran and MV Lord of the Isles.^[38]

There are 13 "Loch Class" vessels in different shapes and sizes. These double-ended ferries are mostly symmetrical when viewed from the side, with no operational bow or stern (although in official documents the designation of such is given). MV Loch Portain is able to handle Force 7 gales and carry 36 cars and 149 passengers, with a crew of five.^{[citation needed]} The smallest vessel in the fleet is MV Carvoria, built in Shetland for the Kerrera route.^[40] Since June 2020 CalMac leases MV Chieftain from Clyde Marine Services for the Gourock to Kilcreggan service.^[41]

The company is adapting to the demands of the 21st century. MV Lochnevis (2000) was designed for the Small Isles service. MV Bute (2005) and MV Argyle (2007), both built in Gdańsk, are on the Wemyss Bay–Rothesay route. A new "super loch", MV Loch Shira, entered service in 2007 on the Largs–Cumbrae route. MV Hallaig (2013; for Raasay), MV Lochinvar (2013; for Tarbert) and MV Catriona (2015; for Lochranza), built by Ferguson Marine Engineering are pioneering seagoing roll-on roll-off vehicle and passenger diesel-electric hybrid ferries.^[42] In 2022, a Norwegian ferry was purchased for the Mull service; after modification it entered service as MV Loch Frisa.

Two dual fuel ferries are under construction by Ferguson Marine Engineering. The first, Glen Sannox (for the Arran service^[43]) was launched on 21 November 2017,^[44] and is expected to enter service in early 2024.^[45][46] Repeated delays saw the delivery date of the second, MV Glen Rosa (the second Arran ferry)^[47] slip to between late summer and the end of 2024.^[48]

A £91 million contract to build two ferries for the Islay service was awarded to Cemre Shipyard in Turkey in March 2022.^[49][50] The first steel for two ferries was cut at a ceremony in Turkey in October 2022,^[51] with the second vessel's being done in January 2023, in the same week as the first vessel's keel was laid. In May 2023, the same week as the second vessel's keel was laid, it was announced that these ferries would be named MV Isle of Islay and MV Loch Indaal.^[30][52] Isle of Islay is expected to be delivered by October 2024, with the second vessel following in February 2025.^[53][54][55]

In October 2022 it was announced that two further vessels would be built to a very similar specification as the ferries under construction for Islay. CMAL signed a contract in January 2023 for Cemre Shipyard to also build the two ferries, which would allow a dedicated, peak season services to Tarbert and Lochmaddy from Uig and provide additional resilience in the fleet.^[31][56] The two vessels, MV Claymore and MV Lochmor are expected to be delivered by the end of 2025.^[57][58]

• Transport Scotland
• Caledonian Maritime Assets
• David MacBrayne
• Argyll Ferries