BLUEMOMENT

The public consultation by Argyll & Bute Council on their proposal to make Oban a Municipal Port will close this Friday 26 August. Have your say if you are interested.

OCHDA's response (they are the campaign group who hoped to make Oban a Trust Port when in 2019 the council declared they had no interest in or necessary skill to run the harbour) is:
"OCHDA's position is becoming clearly a "Don't Know", owing to specific issues which we disagree with and the general lack of detail. However we do not want to be seen to be objecting to the entire project! The following are some of the issues that we believe require detail or amendment at this stage.
Specific concerns relate to: Governance arrangements, delegation of HM powers and "Protection of Lifeline Ferry Service timetables" (what does this mean?)
Lack of important information including regarding: Harbour limits, Enforcement action, Harbour dues, 'Rights of way' in the N Entrance (previously misunderstood by Council Officers), sea-planes/flying boats and helicopters.
Together these make it impossible for us to support the proposal at this time."

The issue first arose when CMAL made moves to become the harbour authority for the whole of Oban Bay. Many people think that having the ferry operator running the By could be detrimental for other users.

I never really understood why anyone thinks the current set up is so dangerous, that further safety controls are needed in the management of the harbour. It is of course about revenue and income from the current and future revenue streams; Oban Bay is an asset that someone wants to exploit.

Does it matter who manages the Bay in the context of current leisure use?

Oban is a very busy harbour - 3rd busiest ferry port in the UK. Almost all the ferry movements are through the north entrance which is narrow with two sharp bends and limited sight lines. Operation in the north entrance is covered by the Code of Practice which is generally held to be reasonably satisfactory. The problem is that it has no legal basis; its use is voluntary and it cannot be enforced.

There are other motivations; making a bit of income for the town is a motivation too. But the alternative to a municipal port or a trust port is that CMAL would be the harbour authority. They would not be interested in the interests of any user apart from the ferries. It was their move in that direction that led to the formation of OCHDA and the eventual move by the council to grab the income.

A-B-C: Anyone But Calmac

why? on the pretext of Safety and ensuring lifeline services are prioritised, they would have the authority to constrain all other users
Peel Port have this authority on the Clyde and it imposes a layer of bureaucracy on running all "leisure events".Their website explains their role and how they manage this, including the template for applying to hold an event (6 weeks minimum lead time) https://www.peelports.com/marine/our-ports/clydeport
Whilst its working OK on the Clyde, would CalMac in Oban bay be similarly cooperative and competent / resourced?
probably better to have the council manage it, and at least there is some public accountability through local councillors and council meetings

Absolutely. I have a bit of sympathy with Calmac when I see sailors not from this area dicking about in the middle of the bay or the north channel when one of the big ferries is coming in or out. But at the same time, if Cmal got full control, what's to stop them putting port closure lights at the north end of Kerrera and shutting the north channel for 20 minutes every hour for a scheduled sailing? Anything that ensures some balance and equal representation among all users is essential. I do think the yachties need to get their own house in order a bit - more adherence to the guidance would reduce the risk that it becomes compulsory.