Three Highland ferry ports have been recognised for environmental excellence following a nationwide assessment carried out by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
The National Award for Environmental Excellence® was presented to ports and harbours owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by CalMac Ferries in recognition of environmental management and sustainability efforts across the network.
The awards assess a wide range of areas including cleanliness, maintenance, waste management, carbon reduction and engagement with local communities.
Auditors visited ferry sites across Scotland in October 2025 alongside carrying out detailed assessments of environmental documentation.
Overall, CMAL and CalMac achieved a Gold award level across 26 ports and harbours, improving on the Silver level achieved during the previous audit in 2022.
Among the Highland locations recognised were:
Armadale on the Isle of Skye which achieved Gold status.
Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan peninsula which received Silver status.
Lochaline in Morvern which also received Silver status.
Armadale was praised for maintaining its high environmental standards as part of the wider network improvements.
Alex Cross, Director of Standards and Performance for CalMac, said:
“We are delighted to receive a Gold Award from Keep Scotland Beautiful, particularly after winning a Silver Award last year.
“This is a recognition of the targeted work we carry out as part of our environmental action plan.
“CalMac operates 500 sailings a day across the stunning waters of the west coast of Scotland, and we play an important part in helping to protect this unique and diverse environment.
“More enhancements can always be made, and we will continue to work on the opportunities for improvement which were highlighted in the Keep Scotland Beautiful report.
“Another aim for us will be achieving Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Diamond Award for carbon management.”
Ruth Rice, Environmental and Sustainability Manager at CMAL, said:
“Achieving a Gold award across all of our ports and harbours is a strong reflection of the consistent effort being made by our teams across the network.
“We are committed to continually improving environmental standards across our infrastructure, and it’s encouraging to see that progress recognised.
“We look forward to building on this work in partnership with CalMac and Keep Scotland Beautiful in the future.”
Brian Rae, Environment and Place Services Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, added:
“We are delighted to recognise CMAL and CalMac’s environmental commitment as part of our ongoing partnership with them.
“This is the third round of assessments our auditors have carried out, and it is brilliant to see the award framework being used to drive continuous improvements at so many ports and harbours across Scotland including the three in the Highlands.”
The awards come as environmental standards and sustainability measures continue to become an increasingly important part of transport infrastructure across Scotland’s islands and coastal communities.
Find out more about the National Award for Environmental Excellence by clicking here
