THE return of CalMac's MV Caledonian Isles ferry to the Ardrossan to Arran route has been slightly delayed due to adverse weather.
The vessel has been out of action since a catalogue of issues was identified when it went in for its annual overhaul in January 2024.
It was due to return to service on Thursday but after it undocked 24 hours late due to "poor conditions", it is now due to begin a phased return on Friday.
This phased return will continue through Saturday and Sunday, with a return to a full timetable on Monday, June 15.
CalMac said: "There will be a delay to the phased return of the vessel. MV Caledonian Isles will begin a phased return on Friday, June 13 and continue through Saturday, June 14, with a full return to timetable on Sunday, June 15."
The MV Isle of Arran replaced the Caley Isles on the Ardrossan route, but moved on in January this year, leaving the town without a ferry service since that date.
The MV Glen Sannox has been operating from Troon – alongside the MV Alfred – because it is too large to dock at Ardrossan.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced earlier this year that she had asked officials to look at the potential purchase of the harbour in North Ayrshire.
The Ardrossan Harbour Task Force met for the first time in a year in April after which the Scottish Government said it remained committed to trying to purchase the site.
But campaigners fighting to save Ardrossan Harbour told The National last month they fear negotiations to bring the site into public ownership are “far from complete” after meeting with CMAL, Transport Scotland, CalMac and Peel Ports.
The Ardrossan port requires a costly berth realignment in order to accommodate the new Glen Sannox – which entered service to Arran in January – and the Glen Rosa – which is now not due to be delivered until 2026.
The Ardrossan Harbour Project – to develop the port and make it suitable for the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa – was given the go-ahead way back in 2018 by then transport minister Humza Yousaf, but the project was paused in 2023 and a fresh business case has never emerged.
With ferries only going in and out of Troon for the past few months, residents in Arran have been struggling to get to medical appointments at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, which is easily reachable by bus from Ardrossan but much more challenging to get to from Troon.
Foot passengers have also had to board a shuttle at the Troon port if they want to get to the town's railway station and travel on towards Glasgow, with Troon station being around a 25-minute walk away. Ardrossan train station, on the other hand, is right by the port and the timings of service line-up with the ferry timetable.
Transport Scotland said it will update Parliament and the community once there is progress to report on the potential purchase.
