Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (usually shortened to CMAL or CMAssets; Stòras Mara Cailleannach Earr in Scottish Gaelic) owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles.
CMAL is a wholly owned public corporation of the Scottish Government, with Scottish ministers as sole shareholders.
Until 1 October 2006 Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, which was wholly owned by the Scottish government, provided the majority of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services and owned the associated vessels and a number of the ports and harbour facilities that the vessels used. These services required an annual revenue deficit grant from the then Scottish Executive to maintain lifeline service levels.
To comply with European guidelines on State Aids in Maritime Transport, an open public tender was deemed necessary in respect of these ferry services and the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) was tendered as a single bundle, with the exception of the Gourock-Dunoon service.
In recognition of the uniqueness of the fleet and to ensure a level playing field for all bidders, on 1 October 2006 Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd was split into:
This was done by Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd transferring its operationsâÂÂbut not its assetsâÂÂto CFL. The operation of the lifeline ferry service was then put out to open competitive tender.
CMAL now owns all vessels, the majority of land-based assets (ports, harbours, etc.) and the Caledonian MacBrayne brand, and makes them available to an operator through an open tendering process. CFL continues to operate the services after winning the tendering process and holds the Public Services Contract (PSC) until 30 September 2013. Under the terms of the tender, CFL is bound to use the vessels of CMAL.
CMAL's responsibilities include:
CMAL currently owns 38 ferries, of which 33 are operated by CalMac Ferries on routes to the islands and peninsulas of the west of Scotland. In April 2018 it was agreed that the five vessels operated by NorthLink Ferries on routes to the Orkney and Shetland islands would also join the fleet. Many ferries are specially built for the ports they serve yet are still interchangeable and able to serve different crossings and can carry from one to 143 cars. The total fleet value was estimated at ã130m in 2017. The newest vessel in the fleet, , was handed over to CMAL on 15 January 2026, travelled to Scotland via Gibraltar and the Bay of Biscay, and arrived at Inchgreen Quay, Greenock, on 22 February. She entered service on the Islay route on 31 March 2026.
and ceased operation with Caledonian MacBrayne in early 2018, and are now no longer part of the fleet. was withdrawn from service in November 2024, and spare parts which could be used for maintaining other vessels were removed for storage. On 27 October 2025, Hebridean Isles was taken under tow to Esbjerg in Denmark for final dismantling.
CMAL owns 17 ports and harbours, and additionally owns and leases properties and port infrastructure at 10 other locations associated with the delivery of Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services.
As Statutory Harbour Authority for a number of these harbours, CMAL's responsibilities and duties include:
On 17 December 2012, the world's first seagoing roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger dieselâÂÂelectric hybrid ferry was launched by CMAL on the Clyde. incorporates a low-carbon hybrid system of diesel electric and lithium-ion battery power. The 135-tonne ferry is nearly 150 feet long and can accommodate 150 passengers, 23 cars or two heavy-goods vehicles. She began service between Sconser on Skye and Raasay in the summer of 2013. A second hybrid ferry, , was launched in May 2013 and initially operated on the Tarbert (Loch Fyne) - Portavadie route, currently operating on the Lochaline - Fishnish route. A third, to be named , was launched in spring 2016 and operates on the Claonaig - Lochranza route, additionally to Tarbert (Loch Fyne) and Portavadie in the winter.
CMAL completed the redevelopment of Brodick ferry terminal. The redevelopment included an entirely new pier with linkspan and airbridge, a second berth with concrete ramp, a new two-storey terminal building with bus station and car marshalling space. The old linkspan was removed and the causeway transformed into an outdoor seating area.
CMAL was commissioned to carry out a feasibility study for Scottish Enterprise to evaluate the technical and commercial possibilities of using hydrogen fuel cells to enable the development of zero-emission ferries. Along with Orkney Islands Council, Ballard Power Systems, Kongsberg Maritime and others, CMAL were part of the HySeas III consortium hoping to demonstrate that fuel cells could be integrated with a marine hybrid electric drive system. The project hoped to develop a vessel to operate between Kirkwall and Shapinsay. The project was completed in June 2022.
In September 2015, it was announced that CMAL would order two ferries from Ferguson Marine Engineering (FMEL). The vessels will be able to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine diesel, future-proofing them for tighter sulphur emissions regulations. They will be the largest commercial vessels to be built on the Clyde since 2001. The first, named , was due to enter service at Ardrossan in 2018, with the second, named , following a few months later. Both vessels have been delayed, with the shipyard going into administration in August 2019. The 'ferry fiasco' is an ongoing political scandal in Scotland, exposing management failures across all parties involved. The new vessels are too large to use the regular mainland port of Ardrossan, and therefore will be required to operate from Troon until upgrade works can be completed. On 18 March 2026 CMAL completed the purchase of Ardrossan harbour to allow these works to be undertaken.
was handed over to CalMac on 21 November 2024, and entered revenue-earning service on the Troon to Brodick route on 12 January 2025. As of 13 May 2025, the expected delivery date for is between April and June 2026, after numerous delays.
It was originally planned to updgrade both Uig and Ardrossan for the dual-fuel vessels Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. However following the decision to allocate both these vessels to the Arran route, only Ardrossan is now in scope for this project. Ardrossan harbour was taken into CMAL ownership on 18 March 2026. Work is expected to get underway during 2027, and take nearly 2 years, meaning the vessels will not be able to use Ardrossan until 2029. As such Troon will be the main mainland port for services to Arran until 2029.
This project is to replace the oldest of the Loch class, in two phases over ten years. The new vessels would be more environmentally friendly and meet higher regulatory standards.
The first phase will be for the building of seven new vessels for the following routes.
The procurement process began in July 2024, and in March 2025 a contract for the seven vessels was awarded to Remontowa Shipbuilding of Gdaà Âsk in Poland, with the first vessel expected to be delivered by 2027. The first steel was cut for the first of the vessels, to be named , in September 2025, and the vessel's keel was laid in December. December 2025 also saw the first steel being cut for the second vessel, to be named MV Loch Etive, and the names of the remaining 5 vessels (MV Loch Katrine, MV Loch Maree, MV Loch Morar, MV Loch Rannoch, and MV Loch Shiel) being revealed.
The second phase of the small vessel replacement programme, covering ferries that undertake longer journeys or have port or sea constraints, began initial design and port feasibility studies in August 2024. The following routes are in scope for this phase:
Replacement of , which currently operates on the Mallaig â Armadale route alongside , was in scope for Phase 2, however in September 2025 CMAL indicated that it was likely to move out of scope to become a standalone project due to the service requirements of this route. , which currently serves as a relief vessel for the fleet, was also considered for replacement as part of Phase 2. On 3 March 2026 the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced that 2 SVRP Phase 2 vessels would be ordered from Ferguson Marine via a direct award, without going out to tender.
This project is to replace and (to be cascaded elsewhere in the network). On 3 October 2022 the first steel was cut for the first vessel, named MV Isle of Islay, at Cemre Shipyard, Turkey. On the week of 13 January 2023 the first vessels' keel was laid and the second vessels' first steel was cut. Voting for the names of the two vessels was launched on 24 April 2023, where the public was asked to pick two names, with the following options:
The names and were selected. On 24 May 2023 the keel for Loch Indaal was laid; she was subsequently launched on 8 June 2024.The vessels utilise Voith Schneider Propulsion and bow thrusters. Isle of Islay was expected to be delivered during the first quarter of 2025, with Loch Indaal expected to be delivered in the second quarter of the year. In February 2025 a delay to delivery was announced, with the shipyard blaming the impact of the war in Ukraine on steel supplies, Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, the 2023 TurkeyâÂÂSyria earthquakes, a shortage of commissioning engineers, and snow and cold weather in Turkey.
Isle of Islay was handed over to CMAL on 15 January 2026. Her voyage to Scotland was expected to take around two weeks, but difficult sea conditions in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic extended this to four and a half weeks. The vessel arrived in Inchgreen, Greenock on the morning of Sunday 22 February 2026. It was hoped that Isle of Islay would be available for use from the start of the summer season on Friday 27 March, however snagging issues led to a delay, and she entered service on the Islay route on 31 March 2026. As of March 2026, it was expected that Loch Indaal would be completed by the end of July 2026.
Due to the size of the vessels, infrastructure upgrades including dredging, new quay walls, strengthening works, fendering upgrades, facilities for shore power were required at Kennacraig, Port Askaig and Colonsay. These works were completed in March 2025.
This project is to replace (to be cascaded elsewhere in the network) and split the routes in the summer, having one vessel going to Lochmaddy and the other to Tarbert, giving more resilience to the fleet and the Outer Hebrides. The two vessels,will be of the same design as and . All four of these vessels will be built at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey.
CMAL confirmed on 19 May 2023 that the first steel for the first vessel would be cut on 24 May 2023. On 20 September 2023, the keel was laid for the first vessel, while the first steel was cut for the second vessel. A public vote to select the names for the two vessels began on 30 November 2023, with voting closing at midnight on Monday 18th December. The names and were selected. As with the new Islay vessels, it was announced in February 2025 that delivery, originally planned for 2025, would be delayed until 2026. As of March 2026, it was expected that Lochmor would be completed by the end of November 2026, whilst Claymore was expected by February 2027.
This project will replace two NorthLink freight vessels currently operating on the Aberdeen to Kirkwall/Lerwick route, with delivery expected during 2026. Although primarily designated as freight vessels, the vessels also include flexible passenger-carrying capacity to allow interoperability with passenger vessels during annual dry-docking periods. On 4 June 2025, funding was awarded by the Scottish Government for the replacement of these vessels and as a result the procurement process got under way. A contract for the two vessels was awarded to the Guangzhou Shipyard International in China in March 2026.
Replacements for the three passenger-only fleet serving Dunoon and Kilcreggan. This project also includes the redevelopment of all three terminals and related infrastructure. This project is currently at the design phase, with construction due to begin in 2025/26.
A new vessel will be constructed to replace on the Mallaig - Lochboisdale (South Uist) service. This also includes a new terminal at Gasay, near Lochboisdale, as the current pier is getting to the end of its life. This project is currently at the design phase, and as of February 2025 a date for procurement was still to be confirmed.
The CMAL Corporate Plan for 2024-2027 envisages the start of the design phase for two new major units to replace and on the Oban-Craignure service. As of June 2025 this project had yet to publicly commence, however it was mentioned in the scope of their latest project for works at Oban berth 1.
CMAL has come under significant criticism for its handling of procurement, particularly in relation to the building programme of MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, both under construction at Ferguson Shipyard in Port Glasgow. The function and future of CMAL is currently under consideration by the Scottish Government via Project Neptune which is considering the management and delivery of Scottish ferry services. The future of CMAL is subject to a number of proposals being made including re-merging CMAL and Caledonian MacBrayne as was the case previously or indeed CMAL being absorbed into the function of Transport Scotland. A Scottish Parliament committee was critical of CMAL and ultimately has considered the proposals outlined in Project Neptune, recommending CMAL be abolished and a new public division of Transport Scotland established called Ferries Scotland. There have been numerous calls such as that from Kenny MacLeod, Chairman of Harris Development Trust, to scrap CMAL and reintegrate the organisation as an internal organ of Caledonian MacBrayne. These comments were also echoed in the media by the RMT Union.