大象传媒

It鈥檚 the beginning of overhaul season, an annual headache for CalMac, where vessels are moved around the network to replace other vessels going into dry dock. It鈥檚 a tricky puzzle to keep the network moving, but when CalMac's largest ferry - the MV Seaforth - goes for maintenance, keeping the essential freight lines open between mainland and the Outer Hebrides becomes a difficult and stressful time for the port staff involved.

Area operations manager Fiona Galbraith travels to Stornoway from her home on Benbecula to help out with the freight backlog, and we witness the difficulties facing Fiona and her team with late freight and storms rolling in off the Atlantic.

While the MV Seaforth is in dry dock, a patchwork of vessels are brought in to replace her. With only a fraction of the capacity, the MV Heb Isles takes over the freight run, doing twice-nightly runs between Ullapool and Stornoway. Captain Roddy reflects on the differences of working through the night with a ferry full of freight rather than passengers.

Sisters Natalie and Tanya Mackay from the Isle of Lewis are now a couple of weeks into their modern apprenticeship with CalMac and are about to join a vessel for the first time. It鈥檚 a big change for the two young women, who have never lived away from the island home they share with their parents and dog. The siblings spend a final day together walking their dog on the island's white sand beaches.

Down in Lochboisdale, on South Uist, chief engineer John Wilson explains the extent of the work that will take place during the MV Isle of Mull鈥檚 dry dock in Aberdeen. It is predicted to cost around 拢2.8 million, the biggest projected spend on one boat in CalMac鈥檚 history.