Ferry fiasco (cont.) ...1 in 4 sailings on key route cancelled
ALMOST a quarter of ferries on the CalMac route where a replacement vessel is five years overdue were cancelled in the first six months of the current contract year.
Islanders on Arran have faced soaring numbers of services being axed, leaving them stranded or facing lengthy delays.
Scottish Government figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have now revealed the rocketing number of scheduled sailings that were cancelled on the CalMac route from Ardrossan to Brodick over the past 15 years.
Since the contract year of 2007-08, the reliability of sailings on the route has declined by almost 20 per cent. The Scottish Conservatives said the statistics reveal why the ongoing ferries fiasco needs to be addressed by the Government.
The latest figures, which document the number of cancellations between October 2021 and March this year, show that out of 1,840 scheduled trips, 410 were called off.
This means that only 77.7 per cent of scheduled sailings took place, the worst figure on record despite documenting only half of the contract year so far. In comparison, between 2007 and 2008, 95.9 per cent of scheduled ferries sailed.
The revelations come as Finance Secretary Kate Forbes this week refused at Holyrood to confirm whether the delayed ferry contract would be completed next year.
Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: ‘These stats put into sharp focus exactly why this ferries fiasco really matters.
‘Instead of the new vessels they were promised, island residents are having to put up with an ageing and unreliable fleet and all of the disruption this brings.
‘Island communities, economies and all those who rely on these lifeline ferry links have been betrayed by an SNP Government that is more concerned with covering up its incompetence than delivering for islanders.’ Graham Chappel, who runs a graphic design business on Arran, said the continued cancellations were putting off tourists.
He said: ‘Our main problem is the lack of faith that visitors now have in coming to the island.
‘Whilst we are, finally, enjoying two ferries which seem to be operating fine at the moment, we are suffering from the worries that people have regarding leaving the island once they get here. This point is not being addressed by CalMac.
‘It is all very well for CalMac to blame the weather and their reliability issues but they are not compensating or acknowledging the fallout from this on a local level.’
The 29-year-old MV Caledonian Isles which currently serves the Ardrossan to Brodick route was out of action for weeks last month following a series of engine failures.
To ease pressures, the Glen Sannox ferry was commissioned, with the intention it would be ready in 2018. However, following five years of delays, the vessel is not expected to be in service until May 2023.
A second ferry is expected to follow in late 2023.
Since the contract was issued in 2016, the cost of the ferries has ballooned from £95million to at least £250million.
CalMac has said that sailings are only cancelled as a ‘last resort’, often because of poor weather.
A spokesman said: ‘Significant investments are being progressed by the Scottish Government and its partners, and we are looking forward to welcoming the new vessel MV Loch Frisa to our fleet next month.’
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: ‘The vast majority of services postponed or cancelled during this period were due to Covid or adverse weather but we will continue to work with CalMac to explore what can be done to mitigate the impacts and ensure delivery of essential supplies and export of island products.
‘Ministers also fully recognise the need to address delays in investment in ferry infrastructure which is why they have committed to the £580million in the infrastructure investment plan.’
‘Stats show why this fiasco matters’