Arran ferry’s makeshift disabled facilities as scaled-back timetable begins

A scaled-back timetable on the main ferry route for Arran has begun with special arrangements put in place for disabled travellers due to a broken lift.

The chartered catamaran MV Alfred will be the only ferry sailing to Brodick for the remainder of January while two major ships are away for maintenance.

The catamaran’s lift is out of action so CalMac has obtained permission from regulators for some disabled passengers to remain on the car deck during the 90-minute crossing where an accessible toilet will be available.

CalMac will also help with overnight accommodation for customers with critical medical appointments unable travel to and from the mainland in a single day.

The situation has arisen because two other ferries which normally serve the Arran route are both undergoing maintenance.

CalMac’s newest ferry, MV Glen Sannox, has been at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead since November for an extended overhaul while still covered by warranty. The ship is due back in service on 2 February.

An older vessel, MV Caledonian Isles, which returned to service in October after 20 months of repairs, departed at the weekend for its annual overhaul in Greenock and will return on 7 February.

In the meantime, a single-vessel Brodick service will be provided from Troon by MV Alfred, the catamaran which has been chartered from Pentland ferries since May 2023 at a cost of £1m per month.

The car deck passenger lift on MV Alfred is currently broken, with spare parts due to arrive next week, but there is no firm date for when it will be fixed.

Passengers are not normally allowed to remain on the car deck but CalMac has obtained permission from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for special arrangements for up to 10 customers per sailing who are unable to use stairs.

A small number of passengers will be allowed to stay in their own vehicles while foot passengers will be offered a space in an accessible minibus and an accessible toilet will also be available on the car deck.

The presence of passengers on the car deck means dangerous goods will not be allowed to use the ferry, and will have to use the much longer alternative route to Arran, from Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula to Lochranza.

CalMac said it had calculated that MV Alfred would be sufficient to meet January passenger demand but apologised to customers, acknowledging that onboard facilities may “fall short” of expectations.

MV Alfred has vending machines for drinks and snacks rather than a full catering service.

The Isle of Arran Ferry Committee urged passengers not to vent their frustrations on CalMac staff.

“These decisions are not of their making and they too must be equally frustrated,” it posted on social media.

CalMac faces a difficult few weeks as it tries to maintain service while juggling scheduled winter maintenance slots and unexpected repairs.

Another large vessel, MV Lord of the Isles which normally serves South Uist, is also currently in dry dock due a “small fault” with its steel plating close to the waterline.

The underlying issue is delays to vessel replacement with many vessels now well beyond their expected service life, but the situation should improve during the year as new ships arrive.

The first of four large ferries being built in Turkey, MV Isle of Islay, although delayed by more than a year, is expected to be handed over by the Cemre shipyard in the next few weeks before making the journey to Scotland.

The remaining three ships are due to follow on at six-monthly intervals, while MV Glen Rosa, earmarked for the Arran route, is currently due for completion by the Ferguson shipyard by the end of the year.

Work is also said to be progressing well on seven small ferries being built by a shipyard in Poland.

The charter of MV Alfred has provided CalMac with vital extra capacity while it awaits new vessels, which are procured by a separate government-owned firm CMAL, but the arrangement has lasted far longer than expected.

The cost of the charter, while it includes crewing costs and fuel, is now more than double the £14m paid by Orkney-based Pentland Ferries for construction of the ship by a Vietnamese shipyard in 2019.