Latest news with #PentlandFerries
STV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- STV News
CalMac extends MV Alfred charter as MV Caledonian Isles set for summer return
CalMac has once again extended the emergency MV Alfred charter for another five months to support Scotland's ferry network. Pentland Ferries announced on Tuesday that they had signed an agreement with the state-owned ferry operator to extend the charter of MV Alfred until the end of October. Confirming the announcement, Louis de Wolff, interim fleet management director for CalMac, said the charter extension 'will give the network much-needed resilience until the end of the summer timetable'. Helen Inkster, managing director of Pentland Ferries, said: 'I am pleased to confirm that we have signed an agreement with CalMac Ferries to extend the charter of MV Alfred until the end of October 2025.' A two-vessel service with MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred will remain in place between Troon and Brodick until the end of Wednesday, June 11, with Glen Sannox remaining on the route following that date. MV Alfred's deployment will be finalised and announced soon. The Alfred has been chartered by CalMac since April 2023 to provide additional support within the Clyde and Hebrides network while the MV Caledonian Isles has been in the dry-dock for repairs. The vessel went in for its annual service in January 2024, but has been out of action ever since – putting pressure on the rest of CalMac's ageing ferry fleet. CalMac confirmed on Tuesday that the MV Caledonian Isles will now return on Thursday, June 12. The ageing vessel had been expected back on Monday, June 9. Mr de Wolff said CalMac is 'now in the final stages of the repair plan for MV Caledonian Isles', and is 'looking forward to seeing her back in service soon'. 'She'll significantly increase capacity and frequency of service for Arran, operating from Ardrossan,' de Wolff said. 'We are looking forward to seeing the vessel back on the water for sea trials from this Sunday, which, given the length of time she has been off service, will be thorough and will include berthing trials at Ardrossan and Brodick. 'The extension to MV Alfred's charter will give the network much-needed resilience until the end of the summer timetable. Plans for her deployment are being finalised and will be announced soon.' As a result of the MV Alfred extension, the Resident Discount Scheme for the ferry has also been extended for the same timeframe. Orkney residents who have already booked travel between June 1 and 7, are encouraged to contact the office for a refund. Refunds will automatically be applied to residents who have booked to travel between June 8 and October 31. 'With both MV Alfred and MV Pentalina in service, we are pleased to maintain a reliable service for our passengers, support over 80 jobs, and ensure that the business continues to invest in the local community and is well-positioned for the future,' Ms Inkster said. 'We look forward to continuing our partnership with CalMac Ferries and serving the island communities in both Orkney and the west of Scotland.' 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
The National
03-06-2025
- Business
- The National
CalMac confirms return date for MV Caledonian Isles ferry
The ferry company confirmed on Tuesday that the vessel - which has been out of action since January 2024 when it went in for its annual service - will now return on Thursday, June 12. Until Tuesday, the ageing vessel had been expected back on June 9. The ferry has been undergoing extensive repairs for a year and a half but will enter dry dock this week for the final stages of work. Following a phased return, she will pick up full service of five returns a day from Ardrossan on Saturday, June 14 except Fridays (six returns) and Sundays (four returns). READ MORE: Irish pro-Palestine activist 'faces jail' after being detained by Israeli police A two-vessel service with MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred will remain in place between Troon and Brodick until the end of Wednesday, June 11, with Glen Sannox remaining on the route following that date. CalMac has also agreed with Pentland Ferries that the current charter for the Alfred has been extended until the end of October, with details of her deployment being confirmed as soon as possible. Louis de Wolff, interim fleet management director for CalMac, said: 'We are now in the final stages of the repair plan for MV Caledonian Isles, and we're looking forward to seeing her back in service soon. "She'll significantly increase capacity and frequency of service for Arran, operating from Ardrossan. 'We are looking forward to seeing the vessel back on the water for sea trials from this Sunday, which, given the length of time she has been off service, will be thorough and will include berthing trials at Ardrossan and Brodick. 'The extension to MV Alfred's charter will give the network much-needed resilience until the end of the summer timetable. Plans for her deployment are being finalised and will be announced soon.' Ardrossan Harbour has been left without any ferry service to Arran since January this year, when the MV Isle of Arran was redeployed.
The Herald Scotland
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
£22m public cost expected as MV Alfred kept for another five months
It is expected that that will take the costs of chartering the catamaran to £22m. That's £8m more than it cost to buy. There is already an existing £17m bill for MV Alfred, which covers the period from May 2023, which on its own is half the price of a similar vessel that could have been bought outright four years ago but was rejected. It comes as normal Arran ferry MV Caledonian Isles which was due out of its annual overhaul on February 17, last year remains out of service. Some users have speculated about whether it will be available for its planned return on Monday after it was spotted being taken back to dry dock near Greenock after some said it appeared "rudderless". Pentland Ferries aid the charter of MV Alfred, which is operating alongside CalMac's newest ferry the long-awaited and over-budget MV Glen Sannox until the end of October. And some users have speculated that this is a sign that MV Caledonian Isles will not be returning as quickly as expected after a series of postponed returns. READ MORE: ScotGov raises 'doubt' on CalMac getting new ferry contract from October Why does CalMac still run Scotland's ferries amidst continuing ire? 'People going bananas': New ferry fiasco hits vital island supplies One user ferry group official said: "Nobody really understands what is going on because there has been little by way of communication. But clearly MV Alfred remains useful as there has been a lack of capacity in the system but mainly for Arran. "But it does make you wonder what is happening with Cale Isles." "We have seen some cuts to services in recent months around the islands, although not where the MV Alfred has been operating in. Nevertheless it has proved fairly reliable for Arran. "It does make you wonder, however why it a ferry like that wasn't just bought in the first place as it would be cheaper." Pentland Ferries staff, who are operating services on behalf of Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac, bought MV Alfred for £14m in 2019 to operate between Caithness and Orkney. (Image: Newsquest) The 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, which serves on the Arran route, one of the busiest on the Scottish coast, and is due to be replaced, has been out of action since going for an overhaul at the start of January, last year with repairs costing over £7m. MV Alfred, which has been operating on the lifeline Arran service, one the busiest in the CalMac network, was built in Vietnam and can accommodate 430 passengers and 98 cars, or 54 cars and 12 articulated vehicles/coaches. At the time it was described as the "most environmentally-friendly ferry in Scotland". With the deal, all crew were to be provided by Pentland Ferries who are responsible for delivery of service and the operational, technical and safety management of the vessel, including maintenance, repair, overhaul and provision of crew throughout the charter period. The costs are due to cover berthing dues, fuel, the commercial charter rate and other undisclosed costs. Over four years ago a deal to buy a vessel similar in design to MV Alfred for £9m collapsed after the Scottish Government-owned procuring and ferry owning company Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) demanded a foreign firm pay up to £100,000 to pay for modifications that would allow it to gain UK maritime approval for it. Negotiations had been taking place to secure the Indonesia-built vessel for months but the owners of the catamaran said they believed CMAL were never serious in completing the sale. The vessel was expected to take around two thirds of the number of cars that MV Glen Sannox would be able to accommodate and a condition of the sale was that it would have had to be approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which provides official certification for all ships. The over-200 foot metre roll-on roll off ferry could take 300 passengers and around 80 cars and was originally designed for a non-UK company, and was regulated for the Australian market. The Mull and Iona Ferry Committee that was pushing for the purchase said the Indonesia-built vessel would have been capable of working to all ports in the network with a full drive-through operation. But CMAL said at the time: "We simply cannot spend millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on a new-build vessel that may not be able to secure a passenger certificate and therefore never be able to operate on Scottish routes.' MV Alfred was originally meant to be on a nine month charter, and was to be in service until the first of two long-delayed ferries, Glen Sannox was in service. After delay upon delay, Glen Sannox entered service in January - but MV Alfred is still required. Scotland's ageing ferries have been hit by a staggering 2,000% rise in cancellations due to breakdowns over 13 years. Crisis-hit CalMac was forced to axe 4,485 lifeline sailings due to technical faults in 2023 compared with just 217 in 2010 as it struggled to keep its fleet afloat. Meanwhile, the company running the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde has been dogged with issues with the delivery of major lifeline ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa which were due online in the first half of 2018 when Ferguson Marine was under the control of tycoon Jim McColl. With both to serve Arran, they have been over seven years late, while Glen Rosa might won't see passengers till the middle of 2026 at the earliest. The last estimates suggest the costs of delivery more have increased fivefoled from the original £97m cost. Ferguson Marine, which employs over 400 staff, including over 100 sub-contractors was taken over by the Scottish Government at the end of 2019 following its financial collapse as a row erupted over long delays and mounting costs over the delivery of the vessels.
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.
