CalMac ferry built in Turkey could enter service early due to Arran demand

The first of four new CalMac ferries built in Turkey could be pressed into action early due a lack of capacity on available vessels to and from Arran.

MV Isle of Islay has been put on standby to meet booking demand after MV Glen Sannox developed a warning light issue with its port main engine - just a week after it returned to service following a three-month absence.

MV Caledonian Isles restarted services on the main Ardrossan-Brodick route on Wednesday, but MV Alfred, the catamaran chartered to provide resilience on the route, is off for maintenance.

A spokesperson for the operator said MV Isle of Islay should be ready to serve the Islay summer route when it restarts on 27 March.

If necessary, the Isle of Islay would sail on the Troon-Brodick route, CalMac said.

The ship, built at the Cemre shipyard, arrived in Scotland in January - three months later than planned.

A second vessel for the Islay route, MV Loch Indaal, is due for delivery in six months' time while work is progressing on a further two ferries destined for the Little Minch, serving North Uist and Harris.

Glen Sannox had returned to its usual route following an extended annual overhaul and remedial work to tackle a vibration issue.

CalMac said the vessel's "oil mist detector alarm" for the port main engine came on as it approached Troon on Monday.

MV Caledonian Isles completed sea trials on Wednesday morning after undergoing repairs to technical faults.

The MV Isle of Lewis and MV Hebrides are also off for maintenance and a CalMac spokesperson said "challenging decisions" had to be made over its fleet.

CalMac said Isle of Islay's remaining berthing trials had been postponed and the vessel was set to berth at Kennacraig.

The ship can carry 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 HGVs

The spokesperson said: "At present, MV Isle of Arran is operating single-vessel to Mull and MV Isle of Mull is providing a shared service to Barra and South Uist. MV Lord of the Isles is on Coll-Tiree.

"All the above leaves us with little option in terms of vessel deployment to manage disruption.

"Deploying MV Isle of Islay to operate Troon-Brodick and serve Arran on a temporary basis is being considered to meet expected demand if MV Glen Sannox remains unavailable."

They added: "We are sorry for the disruption and are making every effort to reinstate normal services."

Glen Sannox entered service in January 2025 after years of delays and cost overruns.

The ship, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel ferry to be built in the UK, won praise from passengers, but a few months later a small weld crack was detected in the hull at the aft end.

An investigation revealed this was caused by excessive vibration when the ship was manoeuvring.