‘Expert level incompetence’ is blamed for ferry fiasco
National transport agency Transport Scotland and ferry operator CalMac are facing a backlash amid claims “expert level incompetence” has led to a further delay to the start of the Campbeltown-Ardrossan ferry service.
CalMac announced last week that, “with regret”, it will be unable to launch the seasonal service until Friday June 30. Sailings on the route were originally due to begin on Thursday April 27, before being delayed until Thursday May 11 and then until yesterday (June 1).
The latest postponement, as a result of vessel availability, has prompted comments from ferry-users who branded the service “an absolute joke” and spoke of their “complete disappointment”.
As Campbeltown’s seasonal ferry does not serve an island, it is not considered to be a “lifeline” service, meaning it is often first affected by cancellations.
Kintyre businesses have voiced concerns about the impact the lack of service is having on the area’s economy, with John Richardson of Gowanlea Heights Bed and Breakfast on Campbeltown’s Argyll Street saying he has already had reservations cancelled.
“It is through expert level incompetence that the Campbeltown ferry has a ridiculously pathetic, bare bones timetable and has barely managed that over the last few years,” he said. “It really doesn’t have to be this way. We’re just so used to being left on the shelf, we’ve grown to accept it and that needs to change. I know the service will always be deprioritised and I know there are alternative travel routes but many people don’t want to use them.”
Mr Richardson says his criticism is levelled at Scottish Government decision-makers, Transport Scotland and CalMac’s executives, not the staff and operational management as “they have their hands tied and do a fantastic job under the most difficult of circumstances”.
He added that his is not the only business affected by the delays to the ferry service and there are many knock-on effects for community events, which he fears could put future events at risk due to reduced attendances.
“Accommodation owners obviously suffer a loss of income due to late cancellations and then potentially being unable to sell their rooms,” he said.
“With fewer people staying, these businesses in the town and many others will have
‘With fewer people staying, these businesses in the town and many others will have reduced spending.’
reduced spending. It might not be immediately noticeable for some, but it cannot be said that there is no impact.
“We’re lucky to have so many high-quality independent businesses in town and the beautiful surrounding areas. However, many of them rely on the summer season and, given their independence, it’s easy to forget that they are not supported by large national corporations.
“Any reduction of footfall will have an impact and it will directly affect the local people running those businesses and the local economy. Fewer people staying means fewer people in the bars, restaurants, shops and cafés, fewer jobs and less money.”
Mr Richardson added that he was told by a Transport Scotland representative in July 2020 that an economic assessment of the impact of reduced travel due to the withdrawal of the Ardrossan-Campbeltown ferry service, caused by Covid, was not carried out but that any future economic impact assessments would be made public.
“The whereabouts or existence of these assessments are uncertain,” he said. “However you would have thought that they would have included them when Transport Scotland initially created the route prioritisation matrix that it and CalMac refer to for decision-making when they want to reduce or cancel services.”
Transport minister Kevin Stewart said: “Whilst no specific analysis of the financial and economic impacts from disruption on communities has been undertaken, the Scottish Government recognises the impact these disruptions have on those who rely on lifeline ferry services.
“The issues around compensation have understandably and rightly been raised, many a time, with this government; we have looked into the penalty deductions that are made in relation to failures on the network, and our view is that we should continue to use that money to reinvest in the ferry network.
“While operational decisions regarding the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services lies with CalMac, we recognise this issue is not just about transport performance – it’s about delivering the confidence needed to sustain local populations.”
Finlay MacRae, CalMac’s head of operations, told the Courier: “We are sorry that the Campbeltown service has not started as planned; this is disruptive for the community and for visitors. Cancelling a service is always an extremely difficult decision, but is sometimes unavoidable.
“We have had to move vessels around and cancel others recently to continue to provide lifeline services to those islands which do not have any alternative route. This is because of ongoing delays to the availability of vessels due to technical problems and annual maintenance delays.
“MV Isle of Arran is currently serving Islay while MV Hebridean Isles is off service, and the route’s core vessel is about to go to dry dock for her required annual maintenance period. MV Alfred is serving Arran but cannot also run to Campbeltown due to the limitations on her crew’s operating hours.
“Once all vessels are back in service, we will reassess and get the Campbeltown service running as soon as we possibly can.”