Latest news with #DuncanMackison
The National
5 days ago
- Business
- The National
CalMac ferry from Arran to Ardrossan to stop after brief resumption
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 [[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.
STV News
5 days ago
- Business
- STV News
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. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
07-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
CalMac seeks to recover costs for Caledonian Isles repairs
Scotland's publicly-owned ferry operator is seeking to recover the cost of repairs to a key vessel which has been out of action for 18 months. The Caledonian Isles was taken out of service in January of last year for substantial work which was estimated to cost £5m, with its return to the route between Ardrossan, North Ayrshire and Brodick on the Isle of Arran expected last June. But its return has been considerably delayed, with CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison saying last month it is 'impossible to say' when it will return. A hull deformity was discovered after repairs were done by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead near Liverpool, which has had a knock-on effect which has prompted CalMac to begin proceedings to recover at least some of the money spent. In a statement, a spokesman for the operator said: 'Following an investigation into the cause of the hull deformity, action is under way to recover costs. 'As this is commercially sensitive and subject to legal proceedings, we cannot comment further.' PA Media The ferry has been out of service since last year (Jeff J Mitchell/PA) The long-running saga of the Caledonian Isles is yet another issue which has hit transport to Scotland's west coast islands in recent years, along with the major delays and cost overruns to two ferries being built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow. The Glen Sannox entered service in January, while the Glen Rosa is not expected until next year, with projected costs rising from £97m when the contract was signed to more than £400m. The loss of the Caledonian Isles has also meant there have been no sailings from Ardrossan in months. While the MV Isle of Arran has been re-shuffled to take over the route from Monday for the next two weeks, both the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa are too big for the port in the North Ayrshire town and as such have been sailing from Troon, further down the coast. Locals fear the impact of losing the ferry service on the local economy, while islanders on Arran have also expressed concerns. The Scottish Government has said it is looking at buying the port from operator Peel Ports to make necessary upgrades to allow the ferries to dock there, but talks are said to have stalled. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
07-07-2025
- Business
- The National
CalMac looking to recover repair costs for MV Caledonian Isles
The Caledonian Isles was taken out of service in January of last year for substantial work which was estimated to cost £5 million, with its return to the route between Ardrossan in North Ayrshire and Brodick on the Isle of Arran expected last June. But its return has been considerably delayed, with CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison saying last month it is 'impossible to say' when it will return. A hull deformity was discovered after repairs were done by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead near Liverpool, which has had a knock-on effect which has prompted CalMac to begin proceedings to recover at least some of the money spent. READ MORE: Scotland weather to hit 'up to 28C' amid heatwave across country In a statement, a spokesman for the operator said: 'Following an investigation into the cause of the hull deformity, action is under way to recover costs. 'As this is commercially sensitive and subject to legal proceedings, we cannot comment further.' The long-running saga of the Caledonian Isles is yet another issue which has hit transport to Scotland's west coast islands in recent years, along with the major delays and cost overruns to two ferries being built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow. The Glen Sannox entered service in January, while the Glen Rosa is not expected until next year, with projected costs rising from £97m when the contract was signed to more than £400m. The loss of the Caledonian Isles has also meant there have been no sailings from Ardrossan in six months. While the MV Isle of Arran has been re-shuffled to take over the route from Monday for the next two weeks, both the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa are too big for the port in the North Ayrshire town and as such have been sailing from Troon, further down the coast. READ MORE: Devolved relations reset with Labour has 'failed', says SNP official Locals fear the impact of losing the ferry service on the local economy, while islanders on Arran have also expressed concerns about getting to medical appointments on the mainland. The Scottish Government has said it is looking at buying the port from operator Peel Ports to make necessary upgrades to allow the ferries to dock there, but talks are said to have stalled.
STV News
20-06-2025
- Business
- STV News
‘Impossible to say' how long Arran ferry will remain out of action, says Calmac
It is 'impossible to say' how long a ferry serving one of Scotland's busiest island routes will continue to be out of action, the operator has said. The MV Caledonian Isles usually operates on the route between Ardrossan in North Ayrshire and Brodick on the Isle of Arran, but it has been out of service since January last year. It had been due to return to the route in recent weeks, but issues with its gearbox have forced consistent delays. On Thursday, CalMac announced the ship would return to dry dock for work on a pressure issue with its propulsion system. Chief executive Duncan Mackison said the inspection will take a few days, and the length of time the ship will continue to be out of action will not be known until that is completed. 'Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly,' he said. 'Once the vessel is in drydock, the inspection will take a few days. Until then, it is impossible to say how long any repair might take. 'But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer. 'To give communities and customers certainty, we're removing MV Caledonian Isles from deployment plans for now and will provide a detailed update on any service impact early next week.' When it returns to service, the Caledonian Isles will run from Ardrossan, the only ferry in the vicinity able to do so given the long-awaited MV Glen Sannox and its yet-to-be-delivered sister ship are too big to dock at the port, meaning passengers have to board at Troon, South Ayrshire. The Scottish Government is investigating potentially buying the port at Ardrossan to make the necessary changes to allow both newer vessels to berth there, but talks are reported to have stalled. Scottish Tory transport spokeswoman Sue Webber said the latest news will have 'Arran residents tearing their hair out in despair'. 'It beggars belief that there is still no return date for a ferry which has been out of service since January last year,' she said. 'The makeshift CalMac fleet is hanging together by a thread – and the blame for this lies squarely with the SNP and their abject failure to build the new ferries that betrayed islanders were promised years ago. 'CalMac and island communities have been left crossing their fingers that no other aging and decrepit vessels break down in the meantime.' A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'CalMac has informed us that while carrying out sea trials for MV Caledonian Isles, further work has been identified relating to pressure levels in the propulsion system. Further information is expected in the coming days. 'In the interim, a two-vessel service will continue to operate between Arran and the mainland, via Troon. This two-vessel service will be delivered by MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred. 'MV Alfred, which is currently chartered from Pentland Ferries, will be retained by CalMac until the end of October. 'This will continue to provide improved resilience across the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
