2012: A Pioneering Ferry is Launched in Scotland

December 17, 2012

In the Scottish town of Port Glasgow, the ferry MV Hallaig was launched at the yard of Ferguson Shipbuilders – now known as Ferguson Marine Engineering – on the Firth of Clyde (the estuary of the River Clyde). Nicola Sturgeon (born in 1970), who was serving as deputy first minister of Scotland at the time, presided at this ceremony.

Hallaig was the world’s first hybrid diesel-electric/battery-operated ferry. She was also the first commercial ship to be fully constructed and delivered anywhere on the Clyde in more than five years. Hallaig was built for use by the government-owned ferry service Caledonian MacBrayne on its route between the Isles of Skye and Raasay in Scotland’s western region.

This vessel was named for a poem that had been written by internationally renowned Scottish Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean (1911-1996). The “Hallaig” highlighted in the poem was an abandoned township in the southwestern part of Raasay.

On October 17, 2013, regular operations began for the ferry bearing that name. This vessel, which is 143 feet (43.5 meters) long, can accommodate up to 150 passengers and 23 automobiles.

Photo Credit: Mn28 at English Wikipedia (licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

For more information on MV Hallaig, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Hallaig