CalMac announces major changes to ferries on west coast tourist routes

Ferry operator CalMac has announced a major reshuffle of its boats this summer amid warnings of “constraint” on the Isle of Arran route popular with tourists.

Caledonian MacBrayne has said services are currently “stretched to the limit”, but warned of further disruption when repairs are carried out on one of the larger ferries, while two new vessels are now six years late and triple the original predicted cost.

The return of MV Caledonian Isles – a 31-year-old ferry which operates on the Ardrossan-Brodick route – from North Ayrshire to the Isle of Arran, will be delayed by 16 weeks, causing other boats to be moved around the west coast.

The Isle of Arran is less than three hours from Glasgow, making it popular for holidaymakers, but in February the MV Caledonian Isles, which carries 1,000 passengers and 110 cars, was found to need repairs expected to cost around £5 million, amid warnings of a “knock-on effect” on other routes.

Meanwhile, the cost of the newly built Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferries was estimated last month to have tripled from the initial £97 million outlay.

Consultations with islanders to find a solution to the MV Caledonian Isles absence meant that the Campbeltown-Ardrossan service, between Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire, will be cancelled for the entire summer.

The current plan involves operating a service to the Isle of Arran from the Ayrshire ports of Ardrossan and Troon.

It is now planned that the Ardrossan to Brodick route will be served by a combination of MV Alfred, operating from Troon from around March 12 when annual maintenance is complete, and the MV Isle of Arran.

Predicted passenger and vehicle volumes on the service, popular with tourists, suggested “there will still be sufficient capacity to meet demand throughout summer”, the ferry operator said.

However, CalMac warned of possible “constraint at peak periods and some customers may not be able to attain their preferred sailing time”.

Another option which could allow for improved capacity on multiple routes is being explored.

If berthing trials for MV Isle of Lewis on the Little Minch route are successful, MV Hebrides and MV Alfred will be free to serve Arran.

Little Minch is a strait separating the islands of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides.

Outer Hebrides MP Angus MacNeil said: “Capacity to the islands is important for the tourist season in the coming summer.”

He said there had been “fear in the community” about losing capacity on the MV Isle of Lewis on the Oban to Castlebay route, which he said was “vital”.

Mr MacNeil added: “There has been a lot of fear in the community about losing the MV Isle of Lewis, which had the potential to impact local people and visitor numbers throughout the Hebridean chain.

“Given this is the longest CalMac route, combined with tourist capacity, meant it was vital that the Isle of Lewis stayed on the Hebridean run.”

CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond said: “The deployment plan provides the best possible service to the network, though we recognise there is going to be some disruption to communities and customers we serve.

“Losing one of the larger vessels in our network during peak season has had a knock-on effect on the wider network, and some disruption is unavoidable.

“However, we have created a revised deployment plan which we hope will minimise the impact across the network whilst providing a resilient service.

“Given our fleet was already stretched to the limit, it is inevitable the loss of one of our larger vessels during peak season will cause some disruption.

“Our team has been working hard to evaluate what we can do for our summer timetable to minimise disruption. Decisions on deployment have not been taken lightly.

“We are looking forward to welcoming a total of six major and 10 small vessels into the fleet over the next five years. 

“However, we face a difficult period as we wait in anticipation for them to be fully operational on the network. 

“We will continue to work in partnership with communities to ensure the best possible outcomes for all who rely on our services.”