CalMac confirms service plans for MV Alfred’s return

CalMac has redeployed vessels and amended timetables across the ferry network for part of the summer period due to the continued absence of MV Caledonian Isles and return of MV Alfred from essential maintenance.  

As a return to Arran for the vessel remains unconfirmed, several vessels will be temporarily moved across the network between Friday 25 July and Sunday 7 September. On Monday 8 September, Troon will be closed to vessels as pre-planned essential maintenance work is carried out on the linkspan for seven days. The port is scheduled to reopen on Monday 15 September.  

Deployment plans for the remainder of the summer timetable which runs from Monday 8 September until Sunday 19 October, will be confirmed in early August.  

MV Alfred is scheduled to return to service from 0915 on Friday 25 July, and will rejoin MV Glen Sannox in operating a two-vessel service from Troon-Brodick. There will be no Ardrossan-Brodick service from the afternoon of Thursday 24 July onwards, with MV Isle of Arran returning to Islay after operating the 09:45 Ardrossan-Brodick sailing that morning. 

This frees up MV Lord of the Isles to leave Islay and return to South Uist. The vessel will operate services to and from Lochboisdale, freeing up MV Isle of Mull to return to Oban-Craignure to operate alongside MV Loch Frisa. Finally, this means MV Coruisk, will depart Mull’s service and transit to Skye to operate alongside MV Loch Fyne on Mallaig-Armadale. For planning purposes and to give communities and customers certainty, MV Caledonian Isles has not been factored in to the deployment plan. If she returns to service before Sunday 7 September, she’ll operate Ardrossan-Brodick.  

Duncan Mackison, CalMac’s CEO, said: “This plan has been carefully worked out so that services to island communities can be optimised with the vessels available to us.  

“This phase of deployment will see many routes revert to their original summer plans, with South Uist’s regular vessel returning, MV Isle of Mull adding capacity to Mull and the return of a two-vessel service on Mallaig-Armadale. 

“We do appreciate there remains a level of disruption, particularly with the continued absence of MV Caledonian Isles, and we are already looking at how we minimise the impact of that disruption for the remainder of the summer timetable.” 

Affected routes are listed below, with full details available on the CalMac website.

Area	Route	Vessel
Arran	Ardrossan-Brodick	MV Isle of Arran until 24 July AM    No Ardrossan-Brodick service from 25 July-7 September
	Troon-Brodick	MV Glen Sannox     MV Alfred from 25 July
Islay	Kennacraig-Islay	MV Finlaggan    MV Lord of the Isles until 24 July    MV Isle of Arran from 24 July PM
Mull	Oban-Craignure	MV Loch Frisa    MV Coruisk until Friday 25 July    MV Isle of Mull from Friday 25 July PM
Barra	Castlebay-Oban	MV Isle of Lewis
Coll/Tiree	Oban-Coll-Tiree	MV Clansman
Colonsay	Oban-Colonsay	MV Lord of the Isles Wed 23 July    MV Clansman
South Uist	Oban/Mallaig-Lochboisdale	MV Isle of Mull until Friday 25 July AM    MV Lord of the Isles from Friday 25 July PM
Skye	Mallaig-Armadale	MV Loch Fyne single vessel until Friday 25 July    MV Coruisk & MV Loch Fyne from Saturday 26 July
Little Minch	Uig-Tarbert-Lochmaddy	MV Hebrides
Lewis	Ullapool-Stornoway	MV Loch Seaforth

ENDS