MV Isle of Arran back in service
Islanders and visitors welcomed the return of the MV Isle of Arran earlier this week after the ship was out of service for nearly three weeks with propeller shaft problems.
It was initially hoped to be able to resolve the problem quickly, but the 35 -year-old vessel was unable to pass sea trials and was sent to the Garvel dry dock in Greenock for further repairs.
However, two further attempts to get it back into service failed when oil was discovered to be leaking from the ship. Following the replacement of seals the vessel past its sea trials, and while there were some still some small issues to iron out, the ship returned to service at the start of the week.
While the ferry was unavailable, passengers who were already booked on the MV Isle of Arran were accommodated on alternative sailings and even the scheduled visiting times of the Scottish Cabinet to Arran, including those of the first minister, had to be reduced and altered due to travel restrictions owing to the loss of the additional capacity offered by the vessel.
In a further blow to ferry travellers a technical issue with the Irish berth at Ardrossan has meant that the back-up berth is unable to be used which will result in 10pm sailings between Ardrossan and Brodick being brought forward to 8pm.
This will affect travellers on Saturday September 8, 15 and 22.
Since this berth is used in certain weather conditions, this development might also cause further disruption to services for the foreseeable future while contingency plans are being prepared.
The MV Isle of Arran is scheduled to complete her period of seasonal service on Monday September 24.