A year-round ferry service from Lochranza could be on the cards.
Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) is to submit a case to the Minster of Transport to improve the winter Tarbert-Lochranza service after it was revealed that a small vessel could in principle be made available. The move follows representations from Isle of Arran Community Council about the lack of a winter Claonaig-Lochranza service coupled with fuel oil now being brought to Arran by road and ferry rather than by tanker.
At this time of year there is only one Tarbert-Lochranza crossing a day, with only a five-minute turnround at Lochranza.
A Calmac spokesman said: ‘Under the terms of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract we would be obliged to make and evaluate a business case for such a service.
‘This would take into account all sort of factors such as usage and likely disruptions. We will progress this and submit it to the minister in due course.
‘The work preparing this case is likely to take up to two months.’
In a reply, David Todd of the Scottish Transport Directorate Ferries Division in Edinburgh, for the minister, said: ‘As you know, during the quieter winter months this service is replaced with a single daily return sailing from Tarbert to Lochranza.’
This, he said, was partly because of the extremely exposed slipway at Claonaig in winter when bad weather could disrupt services and partly the limited availability of small vessels during the main overhaul/dry dock period.
CalMac now had some spare capacity within its small vessel fleet which meant that MV Loch Riddon could in principle be made available to provide the winter service.
Mr Todd added: ‘Calmac have confirmed that it is certainly the case that with the fuel oil now being transported to Arran by road via the ferry rather than by tanker vessel, there may now be a better case to continue an all-year round service to Lochranza from the mainland.’
The Loch Riddon can accommodate 12 cars and up to 200 passengers.
