CalMac's newest ferry MV Isle of Islay arrives in Scotland

The first of four new CalMac ferries being built in Turkey has arrived in Scotland after a four-week voyage delayed by stormy weather.

MV Isle of Islay sailed up the Clyde and berthed at the Inchgreen quay in Greenock just before 10:00 on Sunday after crossing the Bay of Biscay in recent days.

The journey from Turkey proved to be eventful, with the CalMac crew involved in the rescue of a man off the coast of Morocco who was spotted in the water while the ship was waiting for storms to pass.

A final fit-out of the ferry is now expected to take two weeks, followed by crew familiarisation and berthing trials before it enters service in late March.

The vessel, which can carry 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 HGVs, will then serve the Kennacraig to Islay route.

First Minister John Swinney wrote on social media: "Delighted to see MV Isle of Islay arrive in Scotland - a welcome addition to CalMac's fleet.

"My warmest thanks to the crew for handling a challenging journey with great skill and to everyone who has played a part in making this happen."

The ship travelled 4,400 nautical miles from the Cemre shipyard in Turkey.

Onlookers said the new ferry sounded its horn as it passed CalMac's headquarters in Gourock.

Three more ferries of the same design are due to to be delivered at six monthly intervals, providing a second Islay vessel, and for routes to North Uist and Harris.

MV Isle of Islay was originally due for delivery in October 2024 but a series of delays have been blamed on labour shortages and supply chain difficulties.

CalMac's chief executive Duncan Mackison said it was "the start of an exciting new chapter" for CalMac.

He added: "The crew, who have been putting the vessel through her paces on an epic voyage across the Mediterranean and North Atlantic in the depths of winter, are delighted to have reached Scotland.

"They deserve massive credit for the job they have done in sailing home during treacherous weather and sea conditions and being involved in a CalMac first in saving a life at sea off the coast of Morocco.

"Over the next few weeks, we'll finalise preparations to get the vessel ready to enter passenger service for Islay and Jura."

The journey from Turkey saw a CalMac-branded vessel pass many places for the first time - including Greek islands and the coastlines of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said she was delighted to see the ferry arrive, adding that it would improve capacity and reliability on the Islay route.

The new ships mark a significant departure from previous designs for large CalMac vessels.

Ferries agency CMAL, which owns the ships that are leased to CalMac, decided against building more ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) which is used on the dual-fuel ships Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa.

Instead the Turkish-built ships have reverted to more traditional diesel engines, but with some battery power which can be used for manoeuvring in port.

The ships will have a deeper draught - the amount of hull below the waterline - than most CalMac large vessels, which has allowed the designers more leeway to develop a sleeker, more fuel efficient hull shape.

Extra dredging has been necessary to deepen some harbours, and CMAL has also been carrying out other harbour upgrades to accommodate the ships.

Another difference is that they are the first Calmac ships of this size fitted Voith Schneider propulsion units - spinning blades that hang vertically from a drum - rather than traditional screw propellers.

Previously these have been fitted on smaller CalMac vessels, and the units are said to improve manoeuvrability.