CalMac to trial third party vessel on Arran route

CalMac has reached an agreement with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to trial a vessel on its Arran route.

The vessel MV Ben-My-Chree is due to head north later this week to carry out berthing trials between Troon-Brodick.

CalMac interim CEO Duncan Mackison said: “We are being proactive in identifying options to add resilience and capacity to the network during what will continue to be a challenging winter.

“This vessel is larger than those currently serving Arran and would add capacity to that service whilst freeing up a vessel to move elsewhere.

“This is just a trial, and a full charter will be subject to agreement from multiple parties. Should this be reached, we will review and publish a plan on wider vessel deployment.”