State-owned CalMac has condemned one of Scotland's key port operators which it said has left a major ferry harbour in an "unacceptable" condition putting safe operations at risk despite it paying out nearly £15.5m in fees over ten years.
In a rare broadside over the conditions that it is asked to operate in, the ferry operator has delivered a damning indictment of the state of Ardrossan that is crucial for lifeline services to and from Arran in response to a campaign to nationalise Clydeport to bring the ports of harbours on the River Clyde into public ownership.
Duncan Mackison, the interim chief executive of CalMac has criticised the state of the harbour owned by Pool Ports saying that the facilities "have not been maintained to an acceptable standard" and that there has been a lack of investment.
And he has said in a message seen by the Herald that the condition of Ardrossan harbour "is all the more unacceptable" because of the £15.48m that that CalMac has paid Peel Ports for the use of its berths.
READ MORE: Six ferries down over one weekend as CalMac 'calamity' deepens
The Peel Ports Group, the harbour owner has already decided to close a second reserve berth at Ardrossan for good due to "accelerated wear and tear" which they say is caused by its increased use.
It said that Ardrossan is "safe and effective" for the vessels that should be using the facilities, saying 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".
The Irish Berth at Ardrossan, which had been used by an emergency CalMac ferry for the key lifeline route to Arran had initially been put out of action on January 18 when the harbour authority ordered all users to cease operations over safety concerns.
And Mr Mackison confirmed fears previously revealed by the Herald that the port may not ever be used to take much delayed and over-budget ferries despite the green light being given for upgrade works by the current First Minister six years ago.
The costs of the project to upgrade the mainland port of what is one of Scotland's busiest ferry routes, which is in limbo, has doubled.
Business minister Ivan McKee insisted in September 2022 that the harbour and port infrastructure at Ardrossan would be ready to take the two lifeline ferries when they finally set sail after being built at the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard in Inverclyde.
It was Humza Yousaf, the current First Minister, who was then transport minister, who gave the green light for the major upgrade at Ardrossan in April 2018, nearly three years after the contracts were signed to have Inverclyde shipyard firm Ferguson Marine 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 rival bid from Troon.
But the Ardrossan harbour debacle has been described as big a farce as the ferry fiasco which has stained the Scottish Government's reputation and has meant that two vessels remain six years later with costs escalating to at least four times the £97m contract.
The Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac has already been planning to use Troon rather than Ardrossan for the two ferries that will serve Arran. That was when it was hoped that the first of the vessels would be ready for passengers in the Spring of last year.
The full business case for the project remains incomplete and has still to be put out to tender.
It is understood there have been issues over how the cost – which in 2022 was estimated at £40m – would be divided between the Scottish Government quango Transport Scotland, the harbour owner Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council.
Mr Mackison said it did not hold a view on ownership of ports and harbours, saying the overriding priority was that the "overriding priority" was that onshore infrastructure is kept "in a fully working and operational state" and that they are properly maintained to ensure that it is not responsible for reducing services for customers, negatively impacting on the economies of west coast communities.
He stated: "The facilities at Ardrossan have not been maintained to an acceptable standard. There has been a continuing deterioration of in the condition of both berths (Arran and Irish berths) over many years brought about by a lack of investment in the maintenance of this piece of critical infrastructure".
He said the berths at Ardrossan have had numerous issues over recent years, ranging from a fendering system that he said wave very susceptible to damage, defects with it that have not been rectified in a timely manner, numerous failures of the linkspan and now the complete closure of the Irish berth.
"This is a result of a lack of investment from Peel Ports, with the general condition of the whole port being sub-standard. Not only does this create greater levels of risk for the safe operation of the service, but it also gives a very poor image to customers from around the world who are visiting Arran."
He said that the closure of the Irish berth means that the £1m-a-month emergency ferry MV Alfred, has been unable to operate additional sailings to and from Arran.
Instead it has to operate from Troon to Brodick, which due to a longer passage time results in a cut in the number of return sailings per day. Users say any any long period based in Troon would mean travelling times rising from 55 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes.
CalMac also says that it means Ardrossan is not available to CalMac in certain wind conditions, as the vessels cannot berth safely in the Arran berth when the wind is from the east and anything above moderate in strength.
"The state of the Arran berth, and in particular the fenders, mean that [there are] concerns about berthing their vessel alongside in weather conditions from the west and south west because of fears that exposed bolts will damage the side of the vessel," said Mr Mackison in his response to a petition lodged with MSPs which accuses Peel Ports of having a "strangehold on our industrial development".
The Ardrossan issues also impact on the ability to berth overnight at Ardrossan's Arran berth owing to the "risk of vessel damage", meaning the first sailing from the mainland is cancelled.
This is seen as a key sailing for the island, with deliveries, mail, workers in health and social care and tradesmen, all using this service to get to 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 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.
"Whatever ownership arrangement is in place for harbours and ports on the Clyde and across the entire Clyde and Hebrides network, CalMac requests that the owners are required to maintain these vital pieces of infrastructure to a high standard and fit for purpose."
It is understood there have been issues over how the cost of the Ardrossan project – which in 2022 was estimated at £40m – would be divided between the Scottish Government quango Transport Scotland, the harbour owner Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council.
There have been further discussions amongst funding partners over the required project scope – which could set the costs even higher.
According to one letter from the Scottish Government to the Ardrossan Harbour Task Force, made up of the potential funding partners and co-ordinated by the Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency, concerns about the integrity of the quay walls have been heightened following recent structural failures to parts.
The walls were expected to provide support to an LNG tank, which would be used to help fuel the vessels.
Robert Buirds, secretary of the Campaign to save Inchgreen Dry Dock which is behind the bid to nationalise Clydeport said: "Peel Ports must be removed from Inchgreen and the Clyde and politicians must stop their plunder of our public purse."
A Peel Ports spokesman said: “We’ve been very clear on our position here and have invested millions of pounds at Ardrossan in recent years, some of which we had to do as a direct consequence of damage by Calmac’s vessels.
Video: The Ardrossan to Arran ferry.
“We’ve also invested a further £2m on the upgrade project and 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.
"We’ve invested more than £500,000 in the Irish Berth alone in the last five years. Despite that, the damage from its inappropriate use and overuse by Calmac means it is no longer viable to maintain it safely.
"Since 2022 we’ve carried out refurbishment works on the Arran Berth including pulleys, ropes, and gearing being replaced. repairs to flotation tanks, hinges and vital mechanics, and aesthetic improvements too such as painting.
"There has been continued damage to the fenders, due to use by Calmac vessels, that we have had to repair. Generally, these should have a lifespan of 10-15 years but we have had to replace them much more frequently, as recently as a few weeks ago."
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