The CalMac operator ridiculed claims of a dramatic “fall” with a Brodick structure on the Isle of Arran and insisted that neither passenger nor crew member was injured in the very low speed incident.
Easter weekend services on popular flights from Ardrossan to the Firth of Clyde for leisure and day trips were interrupted due to an issue in the 29-year-old Caledonian Islands on Sunday morning.
CalMac, which is controlled by the Scottish government, dismissed speculation that anyone was hurt and said the ship’s paintwork sustained only minor cosmetic damage. Pierce was not hurt.
Carrying 1,000 passengers and 110 vehicles, the ferry’s main port engine broke down while preparing to dock at Brodick after leaving Ardrossan at 9:45 am.
CalMac said the Caledonian Islands were now being taken to Troon for repairs.
A spokeswoman said: “The MV Caledonian Isles suffered a port main engine failure on Sunday morning and is scheduled to be taken to Troon for repairs. It is expected to be out of service for a certain period of time and we will provide an update on this on Friday.
“Due to tide restrictions, MV Isle of Arran will not be able to start operations until 09:45 am Wednesday; She will then make four return voyages to Ardrossan before proceeding to Ardrossan where she will stop for the night. She will then depart Ardrossan on Thursday morning on the MV Caledonian Isles schedule. MV Catriona operates a shuttle service on the Lochranz/Klaonaig route and will be joined tomorrow by MV Loch Riddon from Largs.
“We understand that this is a busy holiday period and we are doing everything we can to help passengers complete their journey. Sailing disruption is a decision we do not take lightly and we apologize to our customers and communities.”
She confirmed that the malfunction “required an emergency shutdown of the engine” and added: “While maneuvering astern with one engine, the ship lightly touched the harbor wall, resulting in minor cosmetic damage to the ship. Although there was a problem with the engine room access hatch, there were no associated injuries.
“CalMac takes operational safety very seriously and the circumstances of the incident will be investigated. Engineers are hard at work on resolving the engine issue and traffic on affected sailboats will be prioritized where possible.”
The outage was another blow to CalMac after a series of ferry breakdowns and repair delays saw the transportation organization come under repeated criticism.
A recent economic study commissioned by North Ayrshire Council found that service disruptions to Ardrossan-Brodick cost Arran up to £170,000 a day in lost profits for island businesses.
In the meantime, Associated British Ports (ABP) has announced that it is nearing completion of a refurbishment of the ferry terminal further up the Ayrshire coast at Troon to “support” the CalMac ferry service from Ardrossan to Brodick and Campbeltown while work on the harbor is being carried out there.