Late afternoon yesterday I travelled on the MV Isle of Arran from Troon to Brodick, where I participated in a busy Isle of Arran Ferry Committee meeting and met representatives of the business community.
Issues ranging from ticketing and repairs to the Caledonian Isles to the future of Ardrossan Harbour and service resilience and reliability were amongst those discussed in detail.
The Arran berth at Ardrossan is currently unusable due to essential fender repairs being undertaken; repairs that should conclude by Thursday.
Having had to switch the service from Ardrossan to Troon with little notice, there were problems raised with CalMac regarding harbour operations which must be resolved if new vessels are to operate smoothly from there whilst Ardrossan is redeveloped.
Frankly, I would prefer the vessels being built In Turkey operate on the route, and from Ardrossan, with the ‘Glens’ sailing in the Uig Triangle. Many others agreed, given the delays to Ardrossan’s redevelopment commencing. However, wider discussions will be required before that will be actively considered.
