MV Loch Striven

Approaching Oban from Lismore, 9 May 2017.
History
United Kingdom
Name	MV Loch Striven Scottish Gaelic: Loch Sroigheann
Namesake	Loch Striven, to the north of Bute
Owner	Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
Operator	Caledonian MacBrayne
Port of registry	Glasgow
Route	Oban–Lismore
Builder	R. Dunston, Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire
Yard number	H952
Launched	8 May 1986
In service	4 July 1986
Identification	IMO number: 8512293 Callsign: MEXS9 MMSI Number: 232003376
Status	in service
General characteristics
Class and type	ro-ro vehicle ferry
Tonnage	206 GT 65 DWT
Length	30.2 m (99 ft 1 in)
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught	1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Installed power	6-cyl Volvo Penta
Propulsion	2 × Voith Schneider Propellers
Speed	9 kn (17 km/h)
Capacity	203 passengers and 12 cars
Crew	4

MV Loch Striven (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Sroigheann) is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1986 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. After over ten years at Largs, she spent 16 years on the Raasay crossing. Since 2014, she has been stationed on the Oban - Lismore crossing.

History

MV Loch Striven was the first of four drive-through ferries built in the 1980s by Dunston's of Hessle, to cope with increasing traffic on CalMac's smaller routes.

Layout

The four vessels are based on the design of MV Isle of Cumbrae. They have a second passenger lounge, on the port side, reducing the capacity of the car deck to 12. The wheelhouse is painted red and given a black top, as she has no funnels as such.

Service

Loch Striven joined MV Isle of Cumbrae on the Largs–Great Cumbrae crossing in July 1986. After one month, MV Loch Linnhe replaced Isle of Cumbrae. The two new vessels continued at Largs for over ten years. In 1997, Loch Striven moved to Raasay, replacing the Island Class ferry, MV Raasay and remained at Raasay for 16 years. In 2013, she was displaced from Raasay by the new hybrid vessel MV Hallaig, and following her annual overhaul on the Clyde that winter she operated the Tarbert - Portavadie/Lochranza service. In April 2014, Loch Striven returned to her original station at Largs and operated the secondary roster alongside MV Loch Shira until June 2014, when she moved to the Oban - Lismore route.