Furious locals are protesting today in Ardrossan, Scotland, as the fate of a lifeline port remains uncertain. The two new vessels promised to Ardrossan Harbour seven years ago are too big to fit the main harbour for their daily journeys to and from the Isle of Arran.
The existing facilities at Ardrossan are deemed too difficult for the new larger ships to berth safely and will require an £80m upgrade. This meant Ardrossan was left with no ferry sailings for two months at the beginning of this year while the old Arran vessel and MV Caledonian Isles had repairs.
Not only are the ships too big but they cost quadruple their original budget. They were expected to cost 100m, but costs skyrocketed to £400m.
One was delivered seven years late and took to the waters in January 2025, while the other is still being built.
As a result, ferries have increasingly been sailing from Troon, 15 miles further south, but there are poorer rail connections, and the journey to Arran takes longer.
The Ardrossan Harbour Project has been a long-winded headache for locals ever since it was given the go-ahead in 2018 by then-transport minister Humza Yousaf.
However, Transport Scotland paused the project in 2023 following concerns about rising costs and called for a new business case to be made.
The mismanagement and delays have caused tensions to boil over. Now, Arran and Ardrossan locals are poised to gather for a protest this weekend, which could see hundreds make their voices heard.
Save Ardrossan Harbour’s chairwoman Frances Gilmour said told Sky News Ardrossan has become a “ghost town”.
She said: “It is so quiet. It is spooky. It’s frankly a disgrace. Businesses are suffering.
“Economically, this is the route. This is the economic route. We have the infrastructure. We just need the berths fixed.”
A spokesperson for Ardrossan Harbour, owned by Peel Ports, previously said the uncertainty was “devastating for the people and businesses of Arran and Ardrossan”.
