CalMac ferry passengers faced E.coli risks due to leaking fish waste on board
Stornoway: So, there’s been a pretty alarming situation with CalMac ferries. Passengers were actually wading through fish waste that was leaking from lorries. Can you believe that? It’s a health hazard, and CalMac has finally admitted it.
Back in 2020, ferry officials raised concerns about this smelly mess. They noticed that effluent from salmon farm lorries was seeping onto the decks. It’s gross and definitely not safe for anyone on board.
Some shocking images showed bloody water leaking from a lorry meant for supermarkets on the MV Loch Seaforth ferry. New data revealed that this fluid had “unsatisfactory” levels of nasty pathogens like listeria and E.coli. Yikes!
An official from the ferry even warned that it was documented how dangerous this situation was. They were worried about passengers, especially kids, having to walk through this waste in flip-flops. That’s just not right.
After a two-year battle, anti-salmon farming campaigner Don Staniford managed to get this information released. Emails showed that CalMac staff had been sounding the alarm for years. They eventually decided to only allow this type of cargo on night ferries.
Now, they don’t transport this kind of cargo at all. Salmon is only moved after it’s processed, so there’s no effluent to worry about. But it’s clear that concerns about this issue have been around for nearly a decade.
In 2022, another official mentioned that the trade union had warned them they’d be blamed if anyone got sick from the fish waste. That’s a serious concern!
In January 2022, a different official reported that tests showed the effluent contained various pathogens that could make people sick. They highlighted how easy it is for these germs to enter the body, especially through contact with contaminated hands.
It’s scary to think that kids’ toys or blankets could end up on the car deck, completely unaware of the dangers. The fluid could easily be tracked into passenger areas, too.
Minutes from a safety meeting in May 2022 noted that with more traffic during Easter, more passengers were walking through the waste. This led to CalMac banning fish hauliers from using the ferry during the day.
Staniford, who pushed for this information to be made public, said it’s no surprise that it took CalMac so long to disclose such troubling details. They’ve been under pressure to address this issue, and rightly so.
