Ferry service to resume between Ardrossan and Arran
The Ardrossan to Arran service is expected to run between Monday, July 7 and Monday, July 21.
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That's the period when the second ferry running to Arran from Troon - the chartered MV Alfred - will be removed from service for essential maintenance.
A CalMac spokesperson told The Herald his week that there remained a chance that the troubled and ageing MV Caledonian Isles could be fit to return to the Ardrossan service. An announcement is expected within days.
MV Lord of the Isles (Image: Newsquest) If the Caley Isles does have to return to dry dock, the spokesperson said either MV Lord of the Isles or MV Isle of Arran would sail from Ardrossan until MV Alfred returns to full service.
Ardrossan has been without a ferry service since January.
Back in January 2024, MV Caledonian Isles went in for an annual service - and didn't return. Major issues were discovered and lengthy repairs began. At first, it was hoped the vessel would be back on the route by summer that year. Return dates were announced... and cancelled.
MV Isle of Arran was redeployed to the Ardrossan route, with hopes high that the Caley Isles would be fit to return to service by January 2025.
That month, the new MV Glen Sannox set sail for Arran from Troon, rather than Ardrossan. The vessel can't sail from the North Ayrshire port until a major upgrade of Ardrossan Harbour is completed.
Hopes remained high that the Caley Isles would be fit to return to service that same month. It didn't happen. And when MV Isle of Arran had to return to the Hebridean route in January, Ardrossan was left without any ferry service at all.
Now, at last, it seems that a regular service between Ardrossan and Arran will be back... for the duration of MV Alfred's maintenance at least.
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BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
CalMac ship shortage leads to summer west coast ferry disruption
Some west coast ferry services face disruption at the height of the summer holidays as CalMac struggles with a shortage of ships. The publicly-owned operator said one of its largest vessels MV Caledonian Isles - which has been out of action for 18 months - is still not ready to return to service. Another major vessel, MV Lord of the Isles, needs work on its engines, while the chartered catamaran MV Alfred is due for annual maintenance. CalMac is redeploying several ferries across the network in a bid to maintain services, but has warned that sailings to Arran, Islay, Mull, South Uist and Colonsay will be disrupted. The reshuffle will, however, allow sailings from Ardrossan to Arran to resume next week when the 41-year-old ship MV Isle of Arran returns to the route. The North Ayrshire town has been without a ferry service for six months, since the arrival of MV Glen Sannox which is too large to fit the Ardrossan facilities, and sails instead from Troon. A CalMac spokesperson said having three major vessels out of service in July meant some disruption was unavoidable but it was taking steps to give communities as much capacity as spokesperson said : "Both MV Alfred and MV Lord of the Isles require the works they'll be off service for, and we are doing the best we can to maintain service levels and meet capacity requirements on all islands with the vessels available to us during this period."We are grateful to local communities for their support as we've worked through a complex set of circumstances and apologise to those who will see services affected between 7 and 21 July." What sailings are affected? MV Alfred, the catamaran being leased from Pentland Ferries, will be out of service between 7 and 21 July for essential maintenance. The ferry operates between Troon and 9-11 July, MV Lord of the Isles, which usually operates between Mallaig/Oban and Lochboisdale in South Uist will be off service while work to its main engines is carried Isle of Arran will operate five sailings per day from Ardrossan from Monday, apart from between 9 and 11 July when it will cover sailings to Caledonian Isles remains out of action and has been unable to carry passengers since January 2024 due to a series of faults. Engineers from Norway are assessing the latest sea trials with an update expected disruption will have a knock-on effect on services to South Uist and Coruisk and MV Loch Frisa will operate a two-vessel service to Mull. MV Isle of Mull will operate a daily return service to South Uist via Oban, but will stop at Mull en-route to South Uist to add extra capacity.
The Herald Scotland
16 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Ferry service to resume between Ardrossan and Arran
The company will deploy either MV Lord of the Isles or MV Isle of Arran on the route if MV Caledonian Isles is forced to go into dry dock for further lengthy repairs. The Ardrossan to Arran service is expected to run between Monday, July 7 and Monday, July 21. READ MORE: That's the period when the second ferry running to Arran from Troon - the chartered MV Alfred - will be removed from service for essential maintenance. A CalMac spokesperson told The Herald his week that there remained a chance that the troubled and ageing MV Caledonian Isles could be fit to return to the Ardrossan service. An announcement is expected within days. MV Lord of the Isles (Image: Newsquest) If the Caley Isles does have to return to dry dock, the spokesperson said either MV Lord of the Isles or MV Isle of Arran would sail from Ardrossan until MV Alfred returns to full service. Ardrossan has been without a ferry service since January. Back in January 2024, MV Caledonian Isles went in for an annual service - and didn't return. Major issues were discovered and lengthy repairs began. At first, it was hoped the vessel would be back on the route by summer that year. Return dates were announced... and cancelled. MV Isle of Arran was redeployed to the Ardrossan route, with hopes high that the Caley Isles would be fit to return to service by January 2025. That month, the new MV Glen Sannox set sail for Arran from Troon, rather than Ardrossan. The vessel can't sail from the North Ayrshire port until a major upgrade of Ardrossan Harbour is completed. Hopes remained high that the Caley Isles would be fit to return to service that same month. It didn't happen. And when MV Isle of Arran had to return to the Hebridean route in January, Ardrossan was left without any ferry service at all. Now, at last, it seems that a regular service between Ardrossan and Arran will be back... for the duration of MV Alfred's maintenance at least.
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Glasgow Times
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