CALEDONIAN MacBrayne has warned it may have to switch its Arran operations to Troon entirely because the terminal at Ardrossan has been left in an "unacceptable" condition.
Duncan Mackison, the interim chief executive of CalMac Ferries Ltd, blasted Peel Ports for its lack of investment in the Ardrossan facility.
Our sister paper Herald Scotland reported Mr Mackison's concern that the Ardrossan facilities "have not been maintained to an acceptable standard".
And he warned: "If the current situation at Ardrossan is not resolved there is a risk that CalMac will have to operate the Arran service from Troon."
In a message seen by the Herald, he claimed the condition of Ardrossan harbour was "all the more unacceptable" because of the £15.48m that that CalMac had paid Peel Ports for the use of its berths over the last 10 years.
The harbour owners closed Ardrossan's 'Irish berth' for good in February, leaving only the main Arran berth available for use.
The second Arran ferry, MV Alfred, is now operating out of Troon as a result.
But Peel Ports hit back at CalMac - insisting Ardrossan Harbour was "safe and effective" for the vessels that should be using the facilities.
And they claimed there had not been any cancellations at the Arran berth in recent history because of maintenance issues, unless it has been to carry out work to "address damage caused by CalMac".
The row comes amid a growing campaign to nationalise Peel-owned Clydeport to bring Ardrossan, and the company's other harbours on the west coast, into public ownership.
Mr Mackison said: "The facilities at Ardrossan have not been maintained to an acceptable standard.
"There has been a continuing deterioration in the condition of both berths [Arran and Irish berths] over many years brought about by a lack of investment in the maintenance of this piece of critical infrastructure."
Mr Mackison said the berths at Ardrossan had been plagued by numerous issues over recent years, ranging from a fendering system that was very susceptible to damage, defects that have not been rectified in a timely manner, numerous failures of the linkspan, and now the complete closure of the Irish berth.
He added: "This is a result of a lack of investment from Peel Ports, with the general condition of the whole port being sub-standard.
"Not only does this create greater levels of risk for the safe operation of the service, but it also gives a very poor image to customers from around the world who are visiting Arran."
Mr Mackison confirmed fears that the port may never be used by Arran's much-delayed and over-budget new ferries, MVs Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, despite the green light being given for Ardrossan upgrade works six years ago.
READ MORE: Six years on from Ardrossan upgrade promise - so why are we still waiting?
It followed a public commitment from the Scottish Government that Ardrossan would remain Arran's mainland port, in the face of a rival bid from Troon.
But the costs of the Ardrossan upgrade are believed to have doubled from the initial estimate of £40m.
CalMac has already been planning to use Troon rather than Ardrossan for the two new ferries until essential upgrades to Ardrossan have been carried out.
But the full business case for the project remains incomplete and has still to be put out to tender.
It is understood there have been issues over how the cost would be divided between Transport Scotland, the harbour owner Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council.
CalMac says Ardrossan is not available to CalMac in certain wind conditions, as the vessels cannot berth safely in the Arran berth when the wind is from the east and anything above moderate in strength.
Responding to a petition lodged with MSPs at Holyrood, which accuses Peel of having a "stranglehold on our industrial development", Mr Mackison continued: "The state of the Arran berth, and in particular the fenders, mean that [there are] concerns about berthing their vessel alongside in weather conditions from the west and south west because of fears that exposed bolts will damage the side of the vessel."
The Ardrossan issues also affect the ability to berth overnight at the port's Arran berth owing to the "risk of vessel damage", meaning the last sailing from Brodick at night, and the first from Ardrossan the next day, are often cancelled.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf slams Peel Ports over lack of Ardrossan harbour investment
A Peel Ports spokesman said: “We’ve been very clear on our position here and have invested millions of pounds at Ardrossan in recent years, some of which we had to do as a direct consequence of damage by CalMac’s vessels.
“We’ve also invested a further £2m on the upgrade project and we are willing to spend even more, if only the Scottish Government and CalMac would agree on the specification and the business case so we can proceed, which we have been waiting for, for many years.
"We’ve invested more than £500,000 in the Irish berth alone in the last five years. Despite that, the damage from its inappropriate use and overuse by CalMac means it is no longer viable to maintain it safely.
"Since 2022 we’ve carried out refurbishment works on the Arran berth including pulleys, ropes, and gearing being replaced. repairs to flotation tanks, hinges and vital mechanics, and aesthetic improvements too such as painting.
"There has been continued damage to the fenders, due to use by CalMac vessels, that we have had to repair.
"Generally, these should have a lifespan of 10-15 years but we have had to replace them much more frequently, as recently as a few weeks ago."
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