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Auld Trooper joins Mull route after new ferry arrival

Tom Lennon A black and white ship with red funnels, sailing from right to left, with hills in the backgroundTom Lennon
MV Isle of Arran, known as the Auld Trooper, has been redeployed after the arrival of the new Ferguson-built ship MV Glen Sannox

The oldest large ferry in the CalMac fleet has been redeployed to a new route after the new ship Glen Sannox took over sailings to Arran.

MV Isle of Arran, a 41-year-old ship nicknamed the Auld Trooper, will be based at Oban and used as a second vessel on the Mull route.

MV Glen Sannox finally came into scheduled service on Monday, coping well with stormy conditions that left some other vessels confined to harbour.

CalMac said the new ferry carried more than 1,000 passengers between the mainland port of Troon and Brodick on Arran during the course of the day.

CalMac's chief executive Duncan Mackison, said Glen Sannox was able to carry all traffic booked to Arran which had been displaced by other cancellations.

"We hope this is a sign of things to come for Arran in terms of improved reliability and capacity and is something other routes will benefit from as more new vessels join the fleet in the coming months," he said.

"We have long talked about a new vessel benefiting more than the route she directly serves.

"Now we are going to see that in action later this week when MV Isle of Arran moves to Mull and a two-vessel service is reinstated. The vessel will also cover some services to Colonsay, Coll and Tiree."

Both MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Arran were built by the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow which has now constructed six of the 10 largest CalMac ships, and a similar number of smaller ones.

PA Media A small black and white ferry and a much larger newer ship, pictured heading towards the camera.PA Media
MV Isle of Arran and MV Glen Sannox passed each other on Monday as the older ship moved to a more sheltered harbour during stormy conditions

The Auld Trooper will be based in Oban from Thursday until Sunday 9 February when the chartered catamaran Alfred will have its annual overhaul, meaning some more redeployments may be required.

Until late March, the Arran service will normally be provided by Glen Sannox and Alfred, operating between Troon and Brodick.

The previous main Arran ferry, MV Caledonian Isles, is then expected to return after major repair work which has left it out of action since last February.

MV Caledonian Isles will then partner MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route but, unlike the new ship, can operate out of Ardrossan, which has better transport links and offers the shortest sailings to the island.

Campaigners in Ardrossan are calling for a swift decision on a multi-million pound redevelopment of the town's harbour so that Glen Sannox and its still-under- construction sister ship Glen Rosa can be accommodated.

Plans to modify and upgrade the harbour, which is privately-owned by Peel Ports, were given the go-ahead in 2018.

But they were paused by Transport Scotland in 2023 after concern about rising costs and disagreements about how much public money should be invested.