THE return of a CalMac ferry which has been out of action for 18 months has been delayed again, leaving locals furious.
The MV Caledonian Isles was due to finally return to the Ardrossan to Arran route last week after undergoing repairs since January last year.
But after it had arrived in Ardrossan Harbour, CalMac announced on Thursday that last minute issues had been picked up during sea trials, meaning it would be delayed until at least Tuesday this week.
However, the latest update is that the ferry will not be back in action until Saturday at the earliest because of a problem with the gearbox.
It has left locals in Ardrossan furious, with dozens of campaigners planning to stage a protest over the ongoing problems with both the ferry and the harbour at Holyrood on Thursday.
In a post on Facebook about the latest Caledonian Isles delay, the Save Ardrossan Harbour group said island communities had been left "stranded".
The group said: "Enough is enough.
"This is just the latest failure in a long line of letdowns caused by CMAL’s aging fleet and chronic lack of forward planning. They've ordered ferries that don’t fit key harbours and allowed the fleet to decline to a shameful state—leaving Scotland’s island communities stranded, frustrated, and ignored.
"To make matters worse, stalled negotiations with Peel Ports have gone nowhere. The situation is unacceptable and growing worse by the day."
Members of the Save Ardrossan Harbour group and the Arran for Ardrossan Harbour campaign – which represent locals either side of the route – are due to gather at Holyrood to demand action is taken over the dilapidated harbour which has needed an upgrade for years.
The MV Glen Sannox and its sister ship the MV Glen Rosa – which is due to come into service next year – are both too large to berth at Ardrossan.
This has resulted in the Glen Sannox having to travel to Arran from Troon since January, which has added about 20 minutes onto each leg of the journey.
The Glen Sannox is only about to carry out three daily return sailings to Arran from Troon compared to the five that are possible from Ardrossan. While the MV Alfred has been providing extra support when needed, its capacity is much smaller.
There have been no ferries running from Ardrossan for five months, which has left businesses in the town concerned about their future.
The Scottish Government promised seven years ago that Ardrossan would remain the main gateway to Arran and pledged to fund the multi-million-pound upgrade required to accommodate the new ferries.
But the project was paused in 2023 amid concern over rising costs and disagreements over how the bill should be split between the three partners: Peel Ports, North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government.
Communities on both sides of the Firth of Clyde are keen to see Ardrossan remain the gateway to Arran given many people in the town travel to the island for work, while Arran residents have medical appointments in Ardrossan.
In February, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop revealed that money had been set aside to take Ardrossan Harbour into public ownership.
But since then, campaigners have lost faith in the progress of negotiations since a meeting with CMAL, Transport Scotland, Peel Ports and CalMac.
Wyllie Hume, chair of the Arran for Ardrossan Harbour group, told the Sunday National he had written directly to Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes to ask her to intervene in the negotiations, but the Scottish Government has said it is "wholly appropriate" CMAL leads the talks on ministers' behalf.
The Save Ardrossan Harbour group post went on: "Are you happy with this situation? If not, it’s time to act.
"Join us in protest at the Scottish Parliament this Thursday, 19th June."
The group says there will be a free bus running from Ardrossan at 9.30am which will leave Edinburgh later on at 3pm.
A CalMac spokesperson said: "We appreciate that the delay to MV Caledonian Isles return is frustrating. We're working hard to resolve the outstanding gearbox issue and when the vessel is back in service she'll add capacity and frequency to Arran's service with five return sailings per day."
