Technical faults and scheduled repairs have halted nearly a third of CalMac's fleet of ferries in Scotland. A "crew issue" on Wednesday (April 8) led to the latest cancellation, affecting two services between Brodick and Troon on MV Alfred.

An engine issue led operator CalMac to pull MV Lord of the Isles from the route between Oban and Barra on Tuesday (April 7). CalMac Chief Executive, Duncan Mackison, confirmed that almost a third of the entire fleet were unavailable for service, leading to circumstances where significant disruption on multiple routes was "unavoidable".

Mr Mackison added: "Though the situation appeared to be stabilising, emergent issues across major and small vessels means the unprecedented scenario we find ourselves in has worsened.

"Everyone at CalMac is acutely aware of the level of disruption many islands on our network have faced recently, and I apologise for that."

The chief executive of the state-owned operator said the impact of the current issues was under review and plans would be shared with the island communities affected on Thursday.

CalMac's ferry network in the west of Scotland has come under significant pressure in recent weeks.

According to the BBC, the major vessels which are unavailable include MV Glen Sannox, MV Lord of the Isles and MV Isle of Arran.

MV Glen Sannox is out of service because of a fuel leak in a port engine while MV Lord of the Isles has been out of action due to an issue with the starboard main engine.

Difficulties sourcing replacement parts for the MV Isle of Arran and steelwork corrosion discovered during the annual servicing of MV Isle of Lewis mean both those vessels are also not servicing routes.

MV Hebrides is undergoing a planned overhaul while MV Alfred has completed its annual check and was sailing to the Clyde.

Smaller vessels affected include MV Loch Bhrusda, MV Loch Linne, MV Loch Portrain and MV Loch Frisa.

Travellers can check the status of their service on the CalMac website.