Car ferry at centre of bitter port row over Arran sailings
Claim route change would delay introduction of new vessel by year
MOVING the Arran ferry service from its traditional home in Ardrossan could cause a £48.5 million CalMac car carrying vessel to be delayed by a year, harbour bosses have claimed.
The increasingly bitter fight over the vital service escalated with the claim by Peel Ports, which runs the service from the North Ayrshire port.
Peel Ports has plans to upgrade its Ardrossan facilities but said the planning and construction timetable for facilities at Troon, in South Ayrshire, could delay completion until autumn 2019, leaving a 12-month gap and uncertainty about ferry service provision.
Associated British Ports (ABP), the operator of Troon Harbour, which is behind a bid to have the ships berthed there denied the claim. Its spokesman said it could accommodate the new vessel now, as well considerably larger craft.
But Doug Coleman, Peel Ports’ project director for Ardrossan Harbour, said: “The Arran ferry has sailed from Ardrossan for 180 years, so we have a full range of existing facilities, including a passenger terminal, adjacent railway station and car parking, which will all be upgraded as part of a £15m investment programme if the minister’s decision goes our way.
“It will be an intensive project, but if our bid is successful, we will definitely be ready to welcome the new ferry by the third quarter of 2018.”
Joe Cullinane, leader of North Ayrshire Council, Peel Ports’ partners in the proposed redevelopment of Ardrossan Harbour described the situation as “the final nail in the coffin for Troon’s bid”.
He said: “We have had our planners examine this situation and they are firmly of the opinion that Troon simply would not be able to have the facilities ready in time. It wouldn’t even be close.
“In the unlikely event Troon wins the bid, you would have a £48.5m ferry, which has been specifically designed for the existing Ardrossan to Brodick route, sitting idle for a year as ABP tries frantically to build its terminal. It’s not a prospect that would fill anyone with confidence.”
He said “an overwhelmingly convincing case” had been made to the Transport Minister, to retain the ferry “on the shortest, fastest and cheapest route” to Ardrossan.
ABP said it is Ardrossan that needs a building programme before the new ferry could dock.
A spokesman said: “These claims are factually incorrect in every regard. The opposite is in fact true.
“Troon is ready to serve the ferry today and is already able to handle vessels considerably larger than those under construction. The service will improve still further once the new passenger terminal is opened in 2018.
“Peel Ports are running ‘project fear’. We will not do that. Informed debate and true consultation are important. That is why we are going back to Arran next week to discuss the facts of our proposals with islanders.”
The company recently lost the P&O service to Larne and has promised to invest £8m if the Arran service is transferred.
The new CalMac ferry is scheduled to be introduced in autumn 2018.