Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne Limited is celebrating the launch of another new addition to its fleet - MV Argyle, the sister ship of MV Bute

Speaking at the launch ceremony in Gdansk, Poland, Technical Director John Kerr said: "Over the last decade or so, CalMac has steadily been modernising the major ships in the fleet, serving the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The introduction of MV Argyle, alongside MV Bute, which was delivered by the Remontowa group in the summer of 2005, concludes an important stage in renewing the fleet on the Upper Clyde. MV Argyle is the second vessel for the Wemyss Bay/Rothesay route and will further improve the standards and quality of service that we provide to our customers on this route."

Mr Kerr also confirmed that following the completion and fitting out of the vessel, it is expected that trials will be run by the end of November and the vessel to be delivered to the Company in the middle of December. The date for naming the vessel is still to be arranged but it is CalMac’s intention to carry out the naming ceremony in the vessel’s home port, Rothesay.

As in the case of her sister ship, the new MV Argyle will also be the seventh ship on the Clyde to have the name. The first one was a paddle steamer built in 1815 which was sold on after a matter of weeks in the Clyde. Of more significance however was the "Argyle" which, though built for Captain Duncan Stewart in 1866, was sold within a fortnight and partially replaced the "Bute" and "Kyles" for over twenty years on the services out of Wemyss Bay. She was owned first by the Wemyss Bay Steamboat Co. Ltd and subsequently by Messrs Gilles and Campbell – and was sold around the time the Caledonian SP Co took over the route in 1890.

It is interesting to note that the new MV Argyle will similarly be entering service around the time of significant changes within the Caledonian MacBrayne company structure.

MV Bute entered service on the Wemyss Bay to Rothesay service on July 11, 2005. Since entering service she has carried approximately 500,000 passengers and 100,000 cars and has been welcomed by the communities that she serves. CalMac believes that MV Argyle will be just as successful and concludes a very important stage in the Company’s fleet renewal programme for the service and support we provide to the communities on the Upper Clyde.

The ordering of new vessel was conducted in accordance with EU public procurement procedures. Value for money, reliability and delivery were the key factors in awarding the contract to the Remontowa yard. There were 4 bids for the project in the end and the Remontowa option clearly offered the best value for the investment. The new vessel will be identical to MV Bute at 72 metres long and 15.3 metres breadth, with a draught of 5 metres. She will carry 60 cars and 450 passengers on CalMac’s busiest route, and will enter service early in 2007 replacing another of the current Streakers servicing the route.

The increased capacity will open up the island of Bute to many more people, and make the Central Belt more accessible to island residents.