CalMac cancels further Ullapool-Stornoway ferries amid continued Storm Babet disruption

Further ferry cancellations hit the Ullapool-Stornoway crossing on Friday as gale force winds continued to batter the Highlands during Storm Babet.

In an update shortly before 6.10am, CalMac confirmed that the 7am Stornoway sailing and the 10.30am Ullapool departure are both suspended due to strong winds.

And the ferry operator said a review would take place at 9am to decide whther the 2pm sailing out of Stornoway and 5.30pm departure from Ullapool will go ahead, or face cancellation too.

A CalMac spokesman said: "Cancelling a sailing is a decision we do not take lightly because we know it will inconvenience our customers and the communities we serve. However, the safety of our customers and crew must come first.

Related: Further power cuts leave hundreds of Highland residents without electricity as Storm Babet rages on

"In this instance, the Master of the vessel has judged it is necessary in response to the assessment of adverse weather conditions."

In a bid to ease a backlog of stranded passengers caused by Storm Babet's disruption, CalMac has announced that an extra sailing will take place on Sunday morning.

In addition to the usual afternoon sailings on that day, CalMac has also drafted in the ferry MV Isle of Lewis to run additional morning sailings between Stornoway and Ullapool.

These will depart Stornoway at 7am on Sunday and Ullapool at 10.45am the same day.

For the latest updates on sailings and potential additional crossings at the weekend, visit https://www.calmac.co.uk/service-status.

Storm Babet continues to wreak widespread disruption in the Highlands, with hundreds of residents hit by fresh power outages overnight, and more weather-related chaos on transport networks with trains on numerous routes cancelled or reduced.

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