Is this how CalMac solves Arran's Glen Sannox issues?

It hasn’t been a smooth process to get CalMac’s Glen Sannox ferry on the Arran route, and now the ferry operator admits services are at a “critical” point.

The Glen Sannox is one of eight vessels out of service across the ferry fleet in Scotland after an engine issue was detected.

The 336-foot vessel has space for 128 cars and 852 passengers and has been in service for just over a year.

But it has been plagued by issues and was seven years late and four times over budget. Shipyard bosses also revealed recently that repair costs for the vessel could hit £3.2 million after a small crack was discovered in the hull.

So what’s the solution for the troubled Glen Sannox, and its sister ship Glen Rosa, which has been delayed in the dry dock until late 2026 due to corrosion and hull coating issues?

Wyllie Hume, Arran islander and chair of the Ardrossan Harbour campaign group, told The Herald there is a “simple solution”.

It is one that has the backing of many islanders but will cost both time and money – something that is lacking in the current climate.

“Many people now feel that the Glen Sannox is not appropriate for the Arran route,” he said.

The unreliability of the vessel is, of course, a key problem, but there’s also concern that it is “too slow at turning around”.

Read more:

• The Scots turning to Reform and why they’re not budging
• Why has Police Scotland chief Jo Farrell been given an eyewatering pay rise?
• 'It took a smart English police chief to do what Scotsmen fear: call out Old Firm'
• Why is health rising up the agenda for voters once more ahead of Holyrood 2026?

“There’s a fundamental problem with it,” he said.

“A lot of islanders now feel that, although there is no quick solution, the long-term solution would be to forget about the Glen Rosa and the Glen Sannox. Maybe try and get them working better and send them up north, where it doesn’t really matter about the time turnaround.

“Then order two slightly smaller – maybe about 80% of the size of the Glen Sannox – from Turkey or Poland.”

Mr Hume said that with this long term solution, there must also be accountability, with the government told to admit they “got it wrong” with the sister vessels.

There is now a movement afoot on the isle of Arran to push for this change.

But what about the short term? That needs adequate investment to get the Glen Sannox up and running again and an into investigation how the problems could have arisen in the first place, Mr Hume said.

Duncan Mackison, the chief executive of CalMac, admitted the situation with the ferry fleet across the country was unprecedented.

Get Scotland's top politics newsletter straight to your inbox.

CalMac has an increasingly ageing ferry fleet and repairs are becoming more common, with technical reasons accounting for more than half of cancellations last year.

“Technical outages are a significant risk with an ageing fleet,” CalMac said, while accepting the increased demand for ferries had increased the pressure on services.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has now intervened to help the ferry operator find a timely solution to the crisis.

She said “work is being delivered at pace” to bring the Glen Sannox back into service.

With the Scottish Government’s purchase of the Ardrossan Harbour, more sailings will be able to take place to Arran – but the vessels will not be able to use that harbour until at least 2029.

But the feelings on the island are of frustration. Their complaints are not political.

Mr Hume said the communities action must now go beyond complaining and into campaigning for action.