On 19 April and 31 May 1998, she called at Lochmaddy to carry out two charters with Ministry of Defence traffic to and from Ullapool, suffering a breakdown on the first charter that required repairs lasting four weeks. On 28 November 1998, whilst returning from an overhaul at North Shields, "Isle of Lewis" made a maiden call at Stromness, Orkney to 'show the flag' as CalMac were bidding for the contract to operate the Northern Isles services instead of the then-incumbent P&O Scottish Ferries. It is worth noting that until the appearance of , "Isle of Lewis" was the flagship for CalMac, hence the reason she was the vessel selected to promote CalMac's interest in the Northern Isles franchise.