ALFRED

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Alfred cannot berth any longer in Adrossan

Due to safety concerns at Ardrossan harbour, the Irish Berth is out of action until at least Jan 24, 2024, following an inspection by divers, so that the 'Alfred' cannot berth any longer. The closure affects services to Arran because it is the only berth at the harbour which can be used by CalMac's chartered catamaran. The main berth is still operating and a second CalMac ferry, the 'Isle of Arran' will continue to sail to Arran. The operator has been advised by the port's owner, Peel Ports, that the berth would have to shut for critical inspections. Affected customers were being contacted and moved to the 'Isle of Arran' when space allows, which will continue to operate the core Arran service from the main berth in Ardrossan to Brodick. Anyone needing to travel urgently for things like medical appointments should contact their local port office. Peel Ports apologised for the inconvenience but said safety had to be its priority.

Charter of Alfred extended

The 'Alfred' will continue to operate on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services network for an additional six months. The vessel was chartered from Pentland Ferries in March 2023, for an initial nine months, but an agreement has been reached to extend the charter until the end of July 2024. It was expected that she will operate as a resilience vessel and also assist with vessel overhaul cover where required. This will help maintain resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network during the winter months and into the summer. The ferry can operate on a number of routes on the network and allows other vessels to be moved to minimise any disruption if necessary. Recent berthing trials has confirmed which ports she can operate out of and plans for her next deployment are now underway.

Alfred finally released to service

Scotlands emergency ferry 'Alfred' was finally be released for service on May 12, 2023, and left the port of Adrossan at noon, en route to Brodick to try and ease island disruption, after it emerged that new support is being provided in the wake of the grounding of the 'Pentalina'. The State subsidised ferry operator NorthLink has stepped up its response to the suspension of Pentland Firth services by the rival firm Pentland Ferries by introducing extra crossings on Friday, Saturday and Monday evenings. Pentland Ferries has been using either the 'Pentalina' or the 'Alfred' to sail across the Pentland Firth from Gills Bay in Caithness to St Margaret's Hope on the Orkney Islands. Ministers sanctioned the nine-month charter of the 'Alfred' as an 'emergency' vessel to try and ease the effect of the nation's ferry fiasco at a cost of £9m. There was uncertainty over when the 'Alfred' will set sail while moored in the port of Ayr. It has since moved to Ardrossan. CalMac have confirmed that the 'Alfred' will commence service on May 12, 2023. Following a review of network status, and as Arran should have a two-vessel service on its main route at this time, the 'Alfred' will be initially deployed between Ardrossan and Brodick. But the scheduling of extra crossings between Stromness and Scrabster from May 12 throughout the rest of the month until the end of June, is understood to mean that the 'Alfred' will be able to be introduced as the 'emergency' vessel for longsuffering islanders serviced by Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac. On May 12 Pentland Ferries said that issues found after berthing trials meant the vessel could not yet enter service. While trials to test the 'Alfred' on certain west coast ports have been completed, CalMac had previously sweated over when it would be deployed as Pentland Ferries conducted a service of hydraulic systems. The vessel is to introduced into service on a non-bookable, turn up and go basis for the first two weeks to allow for familiarisation and to ascertain if the passage time and turnaround times are realistic. She will operate two return services a day and will berth overnight in Ardrossan. As the deployment is focused on resilience, onboard catering facilities will not be provided. The berthing trials have shown that the ports suitable for MV Alfred are Lochmaddy on North Uist, Ullapool, Brodick, Ardrossan (Irish berth only), Troon and Campbeltown. Due to a technical issue with the vessel’s starboard thruster, she is unable to be deployed to Port Askaig on Islay. Pentland Ferries continued to work on mitigations to resolve th the matter, while moore extensive ramp modifications are required for Troon and Campbeltown deployment so that restrictions on traffic types can be removed. Northlink has seen demand from passengers and vehicles rise by more than half since Pentland Ferries was forced to suspend its service between Orkney and Gills Bay at the end of April. It had already established an extra return crossing on Sundays to help fill the gap left by the 'Pentalina'. Pentland Ferries cancelled all sailings from Gills Bay in Caithness to St Margaret's Hope on the Orkney Islands since April 29.