DOUBTS about the safety of a beleaguered Clyde ferry crossing have been raised by MSPs after it emerged the crew had not been adequately trained and were operating the service in breach of regulations.

The Kilcreggan Ferry, which connects the Rosneath peninsula to Gourock, has since Monday been limited to carrying a maximum of 12 passengers at a time, instead of the normal limit of 60, by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Locals claim it has left dozens of passengers stranded on shore or facing lengthy replacement bus detours.

The latest problems mean that only around 30% of sailings undertaken since April 1, when a new service was introduced by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), have fulfilled its contractual terms due to breakdowns, bad weather or restrictions imposed by the MCA.

Stuart McMillan, the SNP MSP for West Scotland, said SPT should now considering cancelling its contract with ferry operator Clydelink and putting an interim service in place while a new operator is found.

He has called on public spending watchdog Audit Scotland to investigate the tendering process carried out by SPT for the service, which led to savings of more than £200,000 a year after the Helensburgh leg of the route was axed.

“There appears to have been a total breakdown of this new service operated by Clydelink and clearly SPT have really got to answer questions regarding the tendering process and say whether they’re happy with the service being provided,” he said.

However, Mark Aikman, chief executive of Clydelink, disputed claims that dozens of people had been left on shore, saying 11 people had not found room on two sailings yesterday. “It’s not famine in Ethiopia,” he added.

Mr Aikman also disputed claims that the service had been in breach of maritime regulations but declined to give details. “We have remained in constant communication with the MCA since yesterday and hope to have the matter resolved within 48 hours when we will be back to a full service.

“I’m disappointed to be resorting to a coach travel, again at our own cost. These are teething problems during the ramp up of the service.”

Jackie Baillie, the Labour MSP for Dumbarton, wrote to SPT’s chief executive Gordon Maclennan yesterday to protest that “enough was enough”.

She said: “There’s an important distinction between reliability and safety. To date, this ferry has been massively unreliable but, while people have had fears about its safety, they have been assured that it has appropriate certification. It now appears that staff working on the vessel since April were not properly qualified.

“You would anticipate having teething problems but not two months down the line and not when they’re to do with fundamental safety concerns.”

The ferry is seen as a vital transport link for around 50 naval base workers who commute from their homes in Inverclyde every day and dozens of residents of the Rosneath peninsula who use it to travel to work in Glasgow.

The replacement bus service that has been operating since Monday afternoon takes around one-and-a-half hours while the ferry crossing takes less than 15 minutes.

A spokeswoman for the MCA said yesterday it had imposed the restriction after it asked for papers showing the qualifications of its crew.

She said: “The (Clydelink) vessel is certified as commercial class five, which can carry up to 78 people. But to operate, the skipper must have a boat masters licence and a passenger endorsement, which allows him to carry more than 12 passengers.

“The skipper does not hold this passenger endorsement and because of that, at this moment in time he can only operate as a non-commercial vessel with up to 12 people on board. The skipper can get this qualification that is required for a passenger endorsement and has applied to the MCA for this endorsement.”

Another crew member would be able to apply for a passenger endorsement after completing a course on crisis management and crowd control, the spokeswoman added. She was unable to say how long obtaining either certificate would take.

An SPT spokesman said: “SPT is aware that the operator is in discussion with the MCA to resolve this issue. The ferry is running and there is also a free bus service for the Coulport/Faslane workers.

“Regular updates are being published on the operator’s website and via the Kilcreggan Ferry twitter feed. SPT will take necessary action under the contract terms.”