MV Loch Shira

MV Loch Shira is a car ferry operating on the Largs to Cumbrae route on the Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. She is owned and run by Caledonian MacBrayne, more affectionately known as Calmac.

Launched on Friday 8th December 2006, she entered service on Saturday 2nd June the following year. The vessel has an absolute capacity of 32 cars and 250 passengers - however Calmac have stated that it is unlikely that more than 24 cars will be carried on the current route, in order to avoid traffic congestion both on the Isle of Cumbrae and at the Largs ferry terminal, where a busy junction is encountered just yards from leaving the boat. The Loch Shira measures 54.27m in length and has a beam of 13.90m.

The design involves a single car deck divided into three lanes, with the central lane of sufficient width for two cars or one large commercial vehicle. There is a narrow passenger cabin at car deck level down the starboard side of the ship, with more spacious internal accommodation as well as open deck seating at a level two stories above this. The bridge sits atop the upper passenger lounge, and is offset to starboard.

In common with other Calmac "Loch Class" ferries, cars and passengers are loaded via folding "ramps" at either end of the vessel. These ramps make the only ship to shore contact during normal loading and unloading, with no ropes or suchlike necessary to secure the ship in place. The addition of a Voith-Schneider propulsion system adds further to this efficiency, giving the vessel excellent manouvrebility.