Delayed Scottish ferry finally sails to Isle of Arran – almost seven years late | Scotland

It sailed nearly seven years late, but in the event it proved its worth. After taming stormy seas that left two other ferries sheltered in the harbour, the Glen Sannox is finally serving islanders on Arran.

As if to prove its durability, some passengers on its first scheduled voyage at dawn on Monday reacted in traditional fashion in heavy seas by throwing up on its brand new toilets as cafeteria trays slid across the tables.

Its maiden voyage from Troon to Brodick should bring an end to years of canceled sailings for Arran, which have hurt the island’s fragile tourist economy and left hospital patients and wedding parties stranded.

Officials with CalMac, the ferry’s state-owned operators, went to bed on Sunday night after watching it complete a test run to Brodick. But they still wondered if the stormy weather overnight could worsen sailing. Winds of 40mph were forecast for the seas off Ayrshire.

In the event, it was only 21 minutes late because its crew made doubly sure that the 32 cars and trucks on board and its 104 passengers – about 20 of whom were journalists, press photographers and camera crews – were safely on board.

With dawn and the festive pennants blown taut by a stiff, chilly wind, its well-wrapped passengers quickly lined up for coffee and breakfast in the gleaming cafeteria.

“In an interesting way, this weather could be seen as a real blessing for us,” said a CalMac official. “What it shows is that a modern vessel with more maneuverability and more responsiveness can work in challenging weather.

“If we hadn’t had Sannox on today, there would have been no sailing to Arran at all because she is built to handle more challenging conditions.”

The heavy seas meant the MV Alfred, a smaller ferry chartered by Northern Isles operator Pentland Ferries, was stuck in Brodick, the main town on Arran, unable to sail to Ardrossan on the mainland. So was the Lochranza service to the north of the island.

The Glen Sannox, named after a picturesque glen on the island, instead carried Alfred’s stranded passengers to Troon, repeating the process all Monday.

A ship at the center of one of Britain’s longest-running procurement scandals, the Glen Sannox is the first new ferry to join CalMac’s aging and increasingly shabby fleet, which serves dozens of islands across the Hebrides and towns on the Clyde.

It was built by Ferguson Marine, a now nationalized shipyard on the Clyde that was saved from closure by the Scottish Government. Glen Sannox was due to sail in May 2018.

But plagued by design flaws, cost overruns and procurement errors, it and its sister ship MV Glen Rosa have cost CalMac and Scottish taxpayers at least £380m – almost four times the original £97m bid.

Glen Sannox gained notoriety when it was officially “launched” by the then First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in 2017 with its windows painted over, temporary funnels made from plywood and large holes in its technical and electrical fittings.

Even now, there are challenging questions about its environmental credentials. It runs on diesel and also liquefied natural gas (LNG), which, although less polluting than diesel, uses gas shipped and shipped from Qatar.

For Arran’s residents and businesses, it is largely forgotten. They are looking forward to a fully operational ferry service which will be completed when MV Caledonian Isles, the vessel designated for the Ardrossan crossing, returns to service following a refit and repair at Easter.

“The introduction of the MV Glen Sannox today is really important for residents, businesses and communities on Arran as we need reliable sailings to do appointments, to bring supplies and of course to bring visitors,” said Sheila Gilmour, from the tourism organization VisitArran.

“We need the reliability of service and the Glen Sannox seems to be a more resilient vessel weather-wise so far. And having the Glen Sannox with lifts that go all the way up to the deck and making the rear of the vessel dog-friendly , also provides greater inclusivity – essential for today’s passengers.”

However, Glen Sannox is still not running at full capacity. It has been commissioned to run from Ardrossan, not Troon, but Ardrossan’s port is in need of a multi-million pound upgrade, which is at the center of a dispute between the port’s owner, Peel Ports, and CalMac and Transport Scotland over who should foot the bill.

Troon is nearly 20 miles farther from Brodick than Ardrossan; it should service Arran five times a day, but the extra sailing time means it can only manage three.