Achi news desk-
Duncan Mackison, interim chief executive of CalMac has criticized the state of the harbor owned by Pool Ports saying that the facilities “have not been maintained to an acceptable standard” and that there is a lack of investment.
And he has said in a message seen by the Herald that the state of Ardrossan harbor is “even more unacceptable” because of the £15.48m CalMac has paid Peel Ports for the use of its berths.
READ MORE: Six ferries down over one weekend as CalMac ‘malaise’ deepens
The Peel Ports Group, the owner of the harbour, has already decided to close a second reserve berth at Ardrossan due to “accelerated wear and tear” which they say is caused by its increased use.
He said Ardrossan was “safe and effective” for the boats that should be using the facilities, saying there had been no cancellations at the Arran berth recently due to maintenance issues, unless it had been work done. scheduling to “address damage caused. by Calmac”.
The Irish Berth at Ardrossan, which had been used by CalMac’s emergency ferry for the key rescue route to Arran was initially put out of action on January 18 when the harbor authority ordered all users to stop operations due to security concerns.
And Mr Mackison confirmed fears previously revealed by the Herald that the port may never be used to take on many ferry delays and over-budgets despite the green light given for upgrades by the current six-year Prime Minister according to.
The costs of the project to upgrade the mainland port of what is one of Scotland’s busiest ferry routes, which is in limbo, have doubled.
Business minister Ivan McKee insisted in September 2022 that the harbor and port infrastructure at Ardrossan would be ready to take the two lifeboats when they finally set sail after being built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Inverclyde.
Humza Yousaf, the current Prime Minister, who was then transport minister, gave the green light for the major upgrade at Ardrossan in April 2018, almost three years after the contracts were signed to have Inverclyde based shipyard company, Ferguson Marine, to build the ferries.
It followed a public commitment from the Scottish Government that Ardrossan would remain Arran’s mainland port, in the face of a competing bid from Troon.
But the Ardrossan harbor debacle has been described as as big a farce as the ferry fiasco which has tarnished the Scottish Government’s reputation and left two ships waiting six years later with costs increasing at least four times the £97m deal .
CalMac ferry company, which is owned by the Scottish Government, has already been planning to use Troon rather than Ardrossan for the two ferries that will serve Arran. That’s when it was hoped that the first of the ships would be ready for passengers in the Spring last year.
The full business case for the project remains incomplete and still needs to be put out to tender.
It is understood that issues have arisen over how the cost – estimated in 2022 at £40m – would be shared between Scottish Government quango Transport Scotland, harbor owner Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council.
Mr Mackison said he did not have a view on the ownership of ports and harbours, saying the overriding priority was that land-based infrastructure was kept “in a fully functional and operational state” and u are properly maintained to ensure that it is not responsible for reducing services to customers, negatively impacting the economies of the west coast communities.
He said: “The facilities at Ardrossan have not been maintained to an acceptable standard. There has been a continuous deterioration in the condition of the two moorings (Arran and Irish Moorings) over a number of years as a result of a lack of investment in maintenance.” r moorings. this piece of essential infrastructure”.
He said that the moorings at Ardrossan had had a number of problems over the past few years, ranging from a fencing system which he said was very prone to damage, faults with it which have not been rectified in a timely manner, numerous failures in the link span and now complete. close the Irish anchorage.
“This is a result of a lack of investment by Peel Ports, with the general condition of the whole port being substandard. Not only does this create higher levels of risk for the safe operation of the service, but it also puts a huge amount of risk to the service. a bad image for customers from all over the world who visit Arran.”
He said that the closure of the berth in Ireland meant that the £1m per month express ferry, the MV Alfred, had not been able to run extra sailings to and from Arran.
Instead it has to operate from Troon to Brodick, which due to a longer journey time results in a reduction in the number of return sailings per day. Users say any extended period in Troon would see journey times rise from 55 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes.
CalMac also says it means that Ardrossan is not available to CalMac under certain wind conditions, as the boats cannot anchor safely in the Arran anchorage when the wind is from the east and anything above moderate in strength.
“The condition of the Arran mooring, and in particular the fenders, means that [there are] concerns about mooring their ship alongside the weather from the west and south west due to fears that exposed bolts will damage the side of the ship,” said Mr Mackison in his response to a petition presented with Members of the Scottish Parliament who accuses Peel Ports of having “a stranger to our industrial development”.
The Ardrossan issues are also affecting the ability to moor overnight at the Arran Ardrossan anchorage due to the “risk of damage to ships”, meaning the first sailing from the mainland is cancelled.
This is seen as a key ferry to the island, with deliveries, post, health and social care workers and traders all using this service to reach the island.
“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 scheduled service to the residents of Arran and the many visitors who wish to travel there.
“However, operating to Troon will result in a more frequent service compared to the service that should be operating from Ardrossan.
“Whatever ownership arrangement is in place for harbors and ports on the Clyde and across the entire Clyde and Hebrides network, CalMac is asking the owners to be required to maintain these vital pieces of infrastructure to a high standard and fit for the purpose.”
It is understood that issues have arisen over how the cost of the Ardrossan project – estimated in 2022 at £40m – would be shared between the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland quango, harbor owner Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council.
There have been further discussions among funding partners about the required scope of the project – which could set the costs even higher.
According to one letter from the Scottish Government to the Ardrossan Harbor Taskforce, which includes the potential funding partners and is coordinated by the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency, concerns about the integrity of the quay walls have increased following recent structural failures to parts.
The walls were expected to provide support for an LNG tank, which would be used to help fuel the ships.
Robert Buirds, secretary of the Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock which is behind the bid to nationalize Clydeport, said: “Peel Ports must be removed from Inchgreen and the Clyde and politicians must stop looting our public purse.”
A spokesman for Peel Ports said: “We have been very clear on our position here and have invested millions of pounds in Ardrossan in recent years, some of which we have had to do as a direct result of damage by Calmac ships.
Video: The Ardrossan to Arran ferry.
“We have also invested a further £2m on the upgrade project and are prepared to spend even more, if only the Scottish Government and Calmac would agree the specification and business case so we can move forward , and we’ve been waiting for it. , for several years.
“We have invested more than £500,000 in the Irish Berth alone in the last five years. Despite this, the damage from the inappropriate use and overuse by Calmac means that it is no longer viable to maintain and keep it safe.
“Since 2022 we have carried out renovations on Berth Arran including pulleys, ropes and gearing being changed, repairs to flotation tanks, hinges and essential mechanics, and also aesthetic improvements such as painting.
“There has been ongoing damage to the fenders, due to use by Calmac ships, which we have had to repair. Generally these should have a lifespan of 10-15 years but we had to get new ones in their place much more often, as recently as a few weeks ago.”
