THE return of an ageing CalMac ferry has been delayed for the fourth time in less than a week due to ongoing problems with its gearbox.
The MV Caledonian Isles – which serves the Ardrossan to Brodick route – has been out of action for 18 months but was supposed to make a long-awaited return last week.
But the return of the vessel has been continually pushed back over the last few days, and a specialist has now had to be brought in from Norway to assist with the investigation into the latest fault.
CalMac has said the ferry will not return to service on Saturday as previously hoped and will now resume on Wednesday, June 25.
People looking to travel to Arran will still be able to do so from Troon on the MV Glen Sannox or MV Alfred.
Kongsberg, the manufacturer of the gearbox, is sending a technical specialist to the vessel who will arrive on Thursday.
Trials undertaken ahead of Thursday will gather more data to help CalMac and Kongsberg diagnose and resolve the problem, CalMac said.
A CalMac spokeswoman said: “Whilst we recognise a further delay is disappointing, we have taken the decision to extend the return date into next week to provide customers and the community with certainty ahead of the weekend.
"Continuing to have MV Alfred as part of the fleet means that we can honour all customer bookings, so visitors can still travel to and from Arran as planned.
“Once repaired, the vessel will need a further two days of sea trials before a full return to service. Our next update to customers and to the Arran community will be issued on Monday, June 23."
The delay to the return of the Caledonian Isles 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 earlier this week, the Save Ardrossan Harbour group said island communities had been left "stranded".
"This is just the latest failure in a long line of let downs 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,” it said.
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.
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.
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.
