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Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has acquired Ardrossan Harbour from Peel Ports Group on behalf of the Scottish Government. The acquisition includes the full harbour area, the Arran and Irish berths, linkspans, car park and marshalling area, part of the land currently used by the boatyard, and the approach road.
Ardrossan Harbour is a commercial harbour, ferry terminal and marina located in North Ayrshire adjacent to the town of Saltcoats. It provides a ferry service for the mainland and the island community of Arran and Campbeltown.
It is a working harbour situated on a promontory flanked by the North and South shores which are natural sandy bays and the Caledonian MacBrayne Arran Ferry roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) facility is located on the most westerly berth.
Lewis McIntyre, Managing Director of Peel Ports Group, said:
“This is excellent news for the people of Arran and Ardrossan. We would like to thank Fiona Hyslop in particular, along with senior executives at Transport Scotland and CMAL, for working so constructively with us throughout the negotiations.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter for Ardrossan Harbour. While we no longer own the facility, we continue to have a shared interest in its success through our role as Clydeport statutory harbour authority.
“We wish all the partners the very best as Ardrossan Harbour enters this new era of public ownership and investment. More importantly, we hope the people who rely on this ferry service can look forward to a positive and stable future.”
Lewis McIntyre – Managing Director of Peel Ports Group
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd owns ferries, ports and harbours and infrastructure necessary for vital ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland and the Clyde Estuary, and the Northern Isles. It is wholly owned by the Scottish Government with Scottish Ministers the sole shareholders.
The company provides ferries, harbours and port infrastructure for operators, communities and users in and around Scotland. Offerings include maintaining, improving and enhancing vessels, land and property around piers and harbours, as well as working with stakeholders within Scotland and the wider maritime community to provide ferries and port infrastructure to the benefit of the communities.
Kevin Hobbs, Chief Executive of CMA, commented:
“It’s been a long process to get to this point, and we’d like to extend our thanks to all stakeholders for their patience.
“The purchase of Ardrossan Harbour marks an important step in securing it as the principal mainland port for ferry services to Arran. We will begin community consultation shortly, and look forward to hearing from ferry users on the future of the port.”
Kevin Hobbs – Chief Executive of CMA
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop concluded:
“The Scottish Government has been clear that we want Ardrossan to be the primary mainland port for CalMac ferry services to Arran, so I am pleased that CMAL has today successfully completed the purchase of Ardrossan harbour.
“This purchase will allow for us to focus on redevelopment of the facility as the primary mainland port to Arran. CMAL are already considering short-term work to ensure resilient operations whilst the MV Caledonian Isles continues to operate from Ardrossan, and we are committed to funding a two-port service until the major works begin.
“I appreciate all the work, particularly by the CMAL and Peel Ports teams, that has gone into getting us to this point and look forward to delivering a more resilient and reliable ferry service for communities in both Arran and Ardrossan.”
Fiona Hyslop – Cabinet Secretary for Transport
Full redevelopment plans for the port will be confirmed following planning and stakeholder engagement.
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