CalMac boss accuses port owner of 'lack of investment'

The boss of west coast ferry operator CalMac has accused a private port operator of failing to maintain one of Scotland's busiest harbours.

Duncan Mackison said a lack of investment by Peel Ports at Ardrossan had left it in a "substandard" condition.

The interim chief executive warned that CalMac might have to switch its Arran sailings to Troon on a permanent basis.

Peel Ports said it had invested millions in Ardrossan in recent years, some of it to deal with damage caused by CalMac ships.

CalMac services to and from Arran have been badly affected by the emergency closure of Ardrossan's Irish berth earlier this year after safety inspections.

It was the only berth that the chartered catamaran Alfred was able to use at the port, and since then it has had to sail from Troon instead.

Another CalMac ferry can still use the main Arran berth at Ardrossan - which requires a notorious "handbrake turn" - but this cannot be used when there are strong easterly winds.

Ferries have increasingly been sailing from Troon, 15 miles further south, but there are poorer rail connections and the journey to Arran takes longer.

Mr Mackison hit out at Peel Ports, the private owner of Ardrossan, in response to a Holyrood petition calling for Clydeport, which is owned by Peel, to be nationalised.

"The berths at Ardrossan have had numerous issues over recent years, ranging from a fendering system that is very susceptible to damage, defects with the fendering system that have not been rectified in a timely manner, numerous failures of the linkspan and now the complete closure of the Irish berth," he wrote.

"This is a result of a lack of investment from Peel Ports, with the general condition of the whole port being substandard."

He said the condition of Ardrossan was all the more unacceptable given that government-owned CalMac had paid Peel Ports more than £15m in fees over the past 10 years to use the berths.

He continued: "If the current situation at Ardrossan is not resolved there is a risk that CalMac will have to operate the Arran service from Troon to ensure we can provide a reliable timetabled service for the residents of Arran and the many visitors who wish to travel there.

"However, operating to Troon will result in a reduced frequency of service when compared with the service that should be operating from Ardrossan."

Peel Ports rejected the criticism, and said it had invested "millions" in Ardrossan in recent years, and said CalMac ships had damaged the facilities.

A spokesperson said: “The port is safe and effective for the vessels that should be using the facilities.

"Indeed, there have not been any cancellations at the Arran berth in recent history because of maintenance issues, unless it has been scheduled work to address damage caused by Calmac.”

Outgoing first minister Humza Yousaf approved a multi-million pound upgrade for Ardrossan harbour six years ago when he was transport minister.

But the plan - which would be financed by the Scottish government, North Ayrshire Council and Peel Ports - was paused last year after the estimated £35m-£40m costs rose significantly.

In April Mr Yousaf told the town's local newspaper Peel Ports should "put their hands in their pockets" to fix the harbour.

Without redevelopment the two new CalMac ferries destined for the Arran route, being built at Ferguson shipyard, cannot use Ardrossan because they are too long.

Plans to build a dedicated fast refuelling facility at Ardrossan to supply the dual-fuel ships with liquefied natural gas (LNG) are also on hold.

Instead, Calmac will have to operate the ships initially from Troon and refuel them using road tankers which takes far longer.

Peel Ports said it had invested £2m in the Ardrossan upgrade project.

"We are willing to spend even more, if only the Scottish government and CalMac would agree on the specification and the business case so we can proceed, which we have been waiting for, for many years," its spokesperson said.