IT is probably fair to say that ferry operator has had to navigate some choppy waters of late trying to meet timetable obligations with some really duff kit handed to them by the incompetence of others.

Staff and crew have battled heroically at times to get folk on and off islands with vessels that should have been replaced years ago.

The vessels, of course weren’t replaced because the highly paid civil servants and ministers in Edinburgh lacked any foresight and didn’t envisage any problems until the network nearly sunk without trace.

It is not outlandish to think that nothing was done for years because the islands are far flung places and they probably didn’t care.

Very few votes on the islands on you see so they are always pushed to the bottom of the pile when it comes to the in-tray marked important things that need sorted out.

It is inconceivable that the trams system in Edinburgh or Glasgow subway would be allowed to suffer the way that the ferry network has, simply because there would have been far more people voting.

Some of them living in marginal seats too.

Regardless, there was one piece of good news for CalMac last week when it was handed the licence to operate ferry services without going out to competitive tender.

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