Ardrossan to Arran ferry sailings to cease again later this month

Ferry sailings between Ardrossan and Arran will cease again later this month, operator CalMac has said.

The MV Isle of Arran took over the route between the mainland and Brodick last week as a result of the continued issues facing the MV Caledonian Isles – which has been out of service since last January.

Ardrossan in North Ayrshire has long been the main port for sailings to Arran, but the newest addition to the CalMac fleet – the long-awaited Glen Sannox – is too big to berth at the privately-owned dock, forcing sailings to move down the coast to Troon, South Ayrshire.

As a result of the lay-off of the Caledonian Isles, the MV Alfred – a Pentland Ferries catamaran – was chartered as a second vessel on the Troon to Brodick route.

From July 24, the Isle of Arran will return to serve Islay, leaving Ardrossan without a ferry to serve the island again for an indefinite period.

The Alfred will run alongside the Glen Sannox as the operator continues to wait for its sister ship the Glen Rosa – which is also being built at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow.

More disruption will be likely in early September, as the terminal at Troon closes for maintenance for a week.

Concerns have been raised among the communities on Arran and in Ardrossan about the potential permanent loss of the town as the main gateway to Arran, given that both the new vessels are too big to dock there.

The port is owned privately by Peel Ports, but the Scottish Government has said it is exploring the potential purchase of the asset to make necessary improvements that would allow the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa to continue serving the island from Ardrossan.

CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison said: “This plan has been carefully worked out so that services to island communities can be optimised with the vessels available to us.

“This phase of deployment will see many routes revert to their original summer plans, with South Uist’s regular vessel returning, MV Isle of Mull adding capacity to Mull, and the return of a two-vessel service on Mallaig-Armadale.

“We do appreciate there remains a level of disruption, particularly with the continued absence of MV Caledonian Isles, and we are already looking at how we minimise the impact of that disruption for the remainder of the summer timetable.”

With the Isle of Arran returning to Islay, the MV Lord of the Isles will return to the Western Isles, allowing the MV Isle of Mull to operate between Oban, Argyll, and Mull, while the MV Loch Fyne will be able to move back to cover the route between Skye and the mainland.