Gourock 080201c Seabus at Kilcreggan Steps

Gourock 070412 Seabus at Kilcreggan Steps

MV ''Chieftain'', ex-''Seabus'', is a passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

built in 2007 for

Clyde Marine Services Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a to ...

to run the

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the are ...

(SPT)

Gourock Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a r ...

Kilcreggan Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cille Chreagain'') is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach o ...

service on the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

. From 2012 to 2018 the service was run by Clydelink with a smaller boat, while ''Seabus'' carried out cruises or other work and was renamed ''Chieftain''. After dissatisfaction with Clydelink, the contract went in May 2018 to Clyde Marine, and ''Chieftain'' returned to the Kilcreggan service. In June 2020

CalMac Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, 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 ...

took over managing the service from SPT, leasing ''Chieftain'' which in 2021 was repainted in CalMac livery.

History

MV ''Seabus'' was built in Cornwall, in 2007, as a 'dedicated' passenger

to replace the 71-year-old on the service between

and Helensburgh, across the Firth of Clyde (

Tail of the Bank The Tail of the Bank is the name given to the anchorage in the upper Firth of Clyde immediately North of Greenock, between Inverclyde and Argyll and Bute. This area of the Firth gets its name from the deep water immediately to the west of the ...

). Owned by Clyde Marine, ''Seabus'' operated the main ferry service to Kicreggan, with crossings of

Gare Loch The Gare Loch or Gareloch ( gd, An Gearr Loch) is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland and bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for sailing, recreational boating, list of w ...

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...

, for the

(SPT) who subsidised the route, and was painted in the STP carmine and cream livery. On re-tendering, the Helensburgh part of the then 'triangular' route ceased and the contract for the Gourock - Kilcreggan service was awarded to Clydelink. To operate the route, Clydelink bought the smaller MV ''Island Princess'' from Lymington, which had been a harbour excursion vessel, and commenced service on 1 April 2012. The change was unpopular with a loss of jobs. The hull of ''Seabus'' was painted dark blue to match Clyde Marine livery, then in 2014 it was renamed ''Chieftain''. It carried out work for hire in the Highlands, including parts of the

Caledonian Canal The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. Route The canal r ...

, and on the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

. Clydelink were unreliable. Their contract was terminated early and the work awarded to Clyde Marine, who resumed the Gourock to Kilcreggan ferry service on 14 May 2018 with ''Chieftain''. After negotiations,

took over the contract from 1 June 2020, leasing ''Chieftain'' from Clyde Marine and giving crew the option of transferring to the new operator.

Layout

MV ''Seabus'' brought a greater degree of comfort and safety to the route with a sealed and heated passenger cabin. Larger, roomier and more comfortable than her predecessor, she has better facilities for people with mobility problems.

Service

–

service on the Firth of Clyde and the

(Helensburgh service discontinued by 2018).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chieftain Ferries of Scotland Ships of Scotland 2007 ships