Latest news with #DuncanMackison
STV News
6 hours ago
- Business
- STV News
‘Impossible to say' how long Arran ferry will remain out of action, says Calmac
It is 'impossible to say' how long a ferry serving one of Scotland's busiest island routes will continue to be out of action, the operator has said. The MV Caledonian Isles usually operates on the route between Ardrossan in North Ayrshire and Brodick on the Isle of Arran, but it has been out of service since January last year. It had been due to return to the route in recent weeks, but issues with its gearbox have forced consistent delays. On Thursday, CalMac announced the ship would return to dry dock for work on a pressure issue with its propulsion system. Chief executive Duncan Mackison said the inspection will take a few days, and the length of time the ship will continue to be out of action will not be known until that is completed. 'Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly,' he said. 'Once the vessel is in drydock, the inspection will take a few days. Until then, it is impossible to say how long any repair might take. 'But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer. 'To give communities and customers certainty, we're removing MV Caledonian Isles from deployment plans for now and will provide a detailed update on any service impact early next week.' When it returns to service, the Caledonian Isles will run from Ardrossan, the only ferry in the vicinity able to do so given the long-awaited MV Glen Sannox and its yet-to-be-delivered sister ship are too big to dock at the port, meaning passengers have to board at Troon, South Ayrshire. The Scottish Government is investigating potentially buying the port at Ardrossan to make the necessary changes to allow both newer vessels to berth there, but talks are reported to have stalled. Scottish Tory transport spokeswoman Sue Webber said the latest news will have 'Arran residents tearing their hair out in despair'. 'It beggars belief that there is still no return date for a ferry which has been out of service since January last year,' she said. 'The makeshift CalMac fleet is hanging together by a thread – and the blame for this lies squarely with the SNP and their abject failure to build the new ferries that betrayed islanders were promised years ago. 'CalMac and island communities have been left crossing their fingers that no other aging and decrepit vessels break down in the meantime.' A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'CalMac has informed us that while carrying out sea trials for MV Caledonian Isles, further work has been identified relating to pressure levels in the propulsion system. Further information is expected in the coming days. 'In the interim, a two-vessel service will continue to operate between Arran and the mainland, via Troon. This two-vessel service will be delivered by MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred. 'MV Alfred, which is currently chartered from Pentland Ferries, will be retained by CalMac until the end of October. 'This will continue to provide improved resilience across the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Return of MV Caledonian Isles on Arran route delayed again over pressure issue
Ferry operator CalMac has said it is "impossible to say" how long a ferry serving Arran will remain out of action due to a pressure Caledonian Isles has been unable to carry passengers since January 2024 due to a series of faults that have cost nearly £11m to 32-year-old ship had been due to resume sailings from Ardrossan to Arran last week but sea trials revealed a problem with the ship's operator said the ship would return to dry dock in the next week to resolve a pressure issue with the vessel's propulsion system. CalMac said it was unable to confirm a return to service date until an inspection takes place, but sailings from Troon would still be available in the meantime with a two-vessel service of MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred. MV Caledonian Isles was initially taken out of service in January last year after routine annual maintenance revealed serious steel ship underwent months of major repair work in dry dock at Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, which required removal of the ship's the ship returned to Scotland in September, a gearbox and propeller fault were investigation at Dale's Marine in Greenock revealed the rear of the ship was had been due to return to the Arran route by the end of April, but this was repeatedly pushed back and the ship was expected to return to service last week. Ferry service update The state-owned operator's chief executive officer Duncan Mackison said: "Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly."He said the inspection of the vessel would take a few days and until then, it was "impossible" to determine how long repairs might Mackison added: "But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer. "To give communities and customers certainty, we're removing MV Caledonian Isles from deployment plans for now and will provide a detailed update on any service impact early next week."When it returns to service, MV Caledonian Isles will run from Ardrossan, the only ferry in the vicinity able to do so since the long-awaited MV Glen Sannox and its yet-to-be-delivered sister ship are too big to dock at the passengers heading to Arran have to board the replacement ferries at Scottish government is investigating potentially buying the port at Ardrossan to make the necessary changes to allow both newer vessels to berth there, but talks are reported to have stalled.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
New setback for CalMac ferry as repairs could take 'significantly longer'
Return to service date next week scrapped Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... New doubts have emerged over when one of CalMac's largest ferries will return to service after nearly 18 months of repairs with the operator warning it could be 'significantly' longer than a few days. The 1,000-passenger Caledonian Isles was due to carry passengers again next Wednesday for the first time since January last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Caledonian Isles undergoing sea trials in the Clyde on Tuesday | John Devlin/The Scotsman However, that date was scrapped on Thursday because CalMac said the vessel would need to return to dry dock for further work following sea trials this week. It means further uncertainty for Arran islanders anxiously awaiting the resumption of sailings on their principal route between Ardrossan and Brodick, which have been suspended since January. Services have been switched to the longer crossing from Troon, which does not have a rail station at the port. This is because CalMac's new ferry Glen Sannox and chartered catamaran Alfred cannot use Ardrossan harbour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John Devlin/The Scotsman CalMac said Caledonian Isles' return to dry dock was the next stage of efforts to resolve a pressure issue with the vessel's propulsion system'. Previous repairs had included to its gearbox and to replace thinning steel in its hull, along with to steelwork being bent out of shape, whose cause is still being investigated. CalMac said it was 'finalising details for docking and unable to confirm a provisional return to service date until the inspection takes place'. Chief executive Duncan Mackison said: 'Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Once the vessel is in dry dock, the inspection will take a few days. Until then, it is impossible to say how long any repair might take. 'But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer.
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
'Impossible to say' when MV Caledonian Isles will be fixed, says CalMac
The MV Caledonian Isles, which was due to return to service on the Ardrossan to Brodick route last week, has been out of action since January last year. Despite arriving back in Ardrossan last week, CalMac bosses have now said it will return to drydock in the next stage of efforts to resolve "a pressure issue with the vessel's propulsion system". There have been several return dates proposed by CalMac in the last week, but none of these have been met. The company is unable to confirm a provisional return to service date now until the inspection takes place, bosses say. READ MORE: Protesters take to Holyrood amid 'deadlocked' Ardrossan Harbour deal Duncan Mackison, CalMac's CEO, said it is "impossible to say" when the ferry will be ready to carry passengers again. He said: 'Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly.
The National
07-05-2025
- Business
- The National
MV Caledonian Isles return faces further delay
With both the MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred unable to berth at the troubled Ardrossan Harbour, ferry users face a further period of longer sailings to Arran and back from Troon Harbour. The service between Ardrossan and Brodick has been absent since early this year - and may not return until the week beginning Monday, June 9. MV Caledonian Isles has been out of action since January 2024 when it went in for its annual overhaul. Repeated delays followed until it was announced that the vessel would return in November last year. But this was set back by the discovery of "steel deformation" and the need to replace both stern tube bearings. This pushed MV Caledonian Isles' return back until the end of March this year, only for it to be delayed again. A return in late April was then expected before it was announced that passengers would have to wait until the end of May at the earliest. Now, CalMac has advised that there is a "potential" further delay coming only weeks out from the anticipated return. The warning comes after the propulsion shafts, which were sent to Denmark for machining, arrived back at the vessel approximately 10 days later than scheduled. This was due to the need for additional works identified during the process. Despite the possible delay, CalMac says it is prepared for a return to service from any point from June 1 onwards. It also reaffirmed its commitment to MV Caledonian Isles operating out of Ardrossan when she returns. Duncan Mackison, the company's CEO, said: 'Progress has been checked every step of the way throughout what has been a complex repair programme. "This delay in completing the shafts has not affected confidence levels that MV Caledonian Isles will be serving Arran again in just a few weeks' time. 'A timeline which saw the vessel back in service by the end of May built in contingency, but that has largely been used up by the delay in getting the shafts back on board. "We anticipated the contingency time being required during alignment and sea trials, the critical phase of works we expect to enter next week when the vessel floats up. 'If we complete alignment and sea trials and there's no issues whatsoever, the original plan for resuming service by June 1 is viable and we're also planning for that eventuality. "But given the length of time the vessel has been in dock, it is prudent to build that contingency back in to give certainty to the community on Arran. 'Further details on her return to service will be confirmed in due course.' MV Alfred, which is on charter from Pentland Ferries, will continue to operate Troon-Brodick in early June should MV Caledonian Isles be delayed.
