GLEN SANNOX

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Latest news

Protest planned on board the Glen Sannox in bid to save Ardrossan Harbour

Campaigners are set to board the 'Glen Sannox' to host a protest at Troon Harbour in a bid to save the historic route between Ardrossan and Brodick. Supporters were being urged to gather at Brodick pier on April 12 at 1 p.m. The ferry will arrive at Troon at 2.15 p.m. ,where participants will get off for a short demonstration at the harbour, before the 'Glen Sannox' makes her way back to Brodick at 3.10 p.m. The ferry is only able to sail between Brodick and Troon at present because it is too big to berth at Ardrossan Harbour. The Ardrossan Harbour Project – to develop the port and make it suitable for the new vessels – was given the go-ahead way back in 2018, but the project was paused in 2023, and a fresh business case has never emerged. The situation has been made even worse since January with the 'Caledonian Isles' having extensive repairs made to it, meaning there have not been any ferries coming in and out of Ardrossan for three months. It was expected that the 'Caledonian Isles' would return to service by the end of April but CalMac has now said it will be before the end of May. Talks with the harbour owner Peel Ports regarding a possible buyout by the Scottish Government are now underway after years of stalling, but residents have become concerned about the apparent silence since that announcement nearly two months ago. Wyllie Hume, chair of the Arran for the Ardrossan Harbour campaign, wants to get as many people onto the 'Glen Sannox' as possible to drive home the argument Ardrossan Harbour must be redeveloped to ensure the historic route is not abandoned. The 'Glen Sannox' is currently alternating with the 'Alfred' for sailings to and from Troon, which takes about 20 minutes longer than the journey to and from Ardrossan, so there are fewer return sailings from there than there were from Ardrossan. When foot passengers get to Troon, the train station is a good 20 to 25 minute walk from the ferry port so, combined with fewer sailings, it is practically impossible for them to take a day trip to Glasgow. People on Arran are also having difficulties getting to medical appointments at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, which is easily reachable by bus from Ardrossan but much more challenging to get to from Troon.

Glen Sannox suffered crack at a weld seam

On March 14, the 'Glen Sannox', serving on the route Troon-Brodick, has been removed from service due to a crack on a weld seam on the vessel’s hull close to the waterline. The ferry was sidelined in Brodick. A small amount of water had entered part of the rear of the ship near the steering gear. The damage required the support of a dive team to assess, and the earliest this could be arranged for is the morning of March 15. A third-party team attended to carry out a full assessment. Affected were the departures from Brodick at 1:00 p.m. and 5::20 p.m. and from Troon at 3:10 p.m. Due to the issue and to provide an additional sailing, the sailings of the 'Alfred' were amended as follows: - Departuure Brodick – 3:45 p.m. departed at the earlier time of 3:20 p.m.; - Departure Troon –*6:00 p.m. departed at the earlier time of 5:05 p.m. There was an additional sailing departing Brodick at 6:50 p.m. These sailings may be delayed due to volume of traffic. Sailings on March 15 have also been cancelled. A shuttle service was operated between Lochranza in Arran and Claonaig in the Kintyre peninsula. The welding work was carried out on March 15, following an assessment by divers. After repairs and testing have been successfully carried out, the 'Glen Sannox' returned to service on March 16 at 2:50 p.m. with a departure from Brodick to Troon. The previous scheduled sailings from Brodick at 10:30 a.m. and from Troon at 12:40 p.m. had to be cancelled. The 12:40 sailing, offered by the 'Alfred' from Brodick, departed at 11:20 a.m. instead. Report iwth photo: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddyny75q8lo?fbclid=IwY2xjawJBZ3hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdrL9mT_kcBxOGyh4NGP0KqvJ_1_mPOamcf1ZZUsp97pOKLWrc91YyXRsg_aem_mZE6Y99kDBmmI4cTHHWJfw

Ferry completed remedial work

The 'Glen Sannox' berthed at Inchgreen on Feb 23 for pre-planned repair work, little more than a month after entering service between Troon and Brodick. The vessel's anchor gypsy chain wheels were replaced - something which was highlighted before she entered service for the first time on January 13 - while other remedial work.was also carried out. The ship returned to service on the main Arran route on the evening of March 2 after undergoing sea trials on March 1. The ship - intended to sail between Ardrossan and Brodick - will have to use Troon as its mainland port until major upgrade work is carried out at Ardrossan to accommodate the new vessel and its sister ship. The Scottish Government announced that money to bring the Ardrossan terminal - currently owned by private firm Peel Ports, which is also the owner and operator of the Port of Greenock and the statutory harbour authority for the Clyde - was being included in its 2025-26 budget. CalMac also admitted last week that services between Ardrossan and Brodick - which have been suspended since the 'Glen Sannox' entered service - would not resume until at least the end of April due to extended repair work on the route's usual vessel, the 'Caledonian Isles', which hasn't been in service since Jan 2024.