CalMac ferry from Arran to Ardrossan to stop after brief resumption
[[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 [[Ayr]]shire.
READ MORE: CalMac looking to recover repair costs for MV Caledonian Isles
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 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]].
(Image: Andrew Milligan) CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison (above) 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.
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