MV Alfred stays on Arran route
MV Alfred will continue to be deployed on the Ardrossan to Brodick route at least until the end of June.
The catamaran is currently on charter from Pentland Ferries and has spent two weeks getting familiar with the main Arran route, operating two sailings a day, and will remain until the end of June as the second vessel.
CalMac has also announced additional services will be provided by MV Alfred from today (Friday) operating three return sailings per day, Friday-Monday, and two earlier departure return sailings Tuesday-Thursday, berthing at the Irish berth in Ardrossan.
Existing MV Isle of Arran bookings will be migrated to MV Alfred sailings and customers affected will be contacted directly. Any remaining capacity on the vessel will operate on a non-bookable basis. However, the vessel is still operating at just over half capacity.
MV Caledonian Isles will continue to operate on this route as a bookable service.
The £9 million, nine-month charter of the MV Alfred is being paid for by the Scottish government to help CalMac manage delays to the annual overhaul schedule. After a delayed start, she appears to be operating on the Arran route to timetable and is docking with relative ease at Brodick and the Irish berth at Ardrossan.
The Ardrossan to Campbeltown service will not now start until Friday June 30, with affected customers being contacted directly.
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: “We welcome the introduction into service of MV Alfred and the resilience she is providing on the main Arran route.
“This route has been operating with only one vessel for some time, so the addition of MV Alfred will provide much-needed support to the community.”
Vessel deployment plans beyond Thursday June 29 will remain under review based on wider network needs.
Meanwhile, talks are to be held in a bid to prevent a repeat of the situation earlier this month when around 60 people were left stranded on Arran as the last sailing of the MV Caledonian Isles was cancelled as a result of fog.
A resilience plan failed because key people, including VisitArran chief executive Sheila Gilmore, were off the island leaving CalMac staff and Police Scotland to cope with the aftermath, which saw around half of the passengers bunk down in the ferry terminal as other accommodation providers rallied to put a roof over their heads.
VisitArran says it has been seeking a confirmed process for this type of situation for the last eight months. A meeting with North Ayrshire Council and other public sector agencies involved is being arranged for the beginning of June.