CalMac may extend £1m a month lease of catamaran after almost three years

CalMac's £1m a month lease of a catamaran from Orkney's Pentland Ferries may be extended, BBC Scotland News understands.

The MV Alfred and crew have been working on the Arran route for almost three years but the contract was due to come to an end this weekend.

The two other ferries which normally serve the Arran route have been undergoing maintenance.

Alfred is due to go for its annual refit on Saturday when the charter expires, but CalMac says it is "looking into the possibility" of extending it.

The ferry firm suggested it may help plug a gap on the Oban to Barra route, which is normally served by the MV Isle of Lewis.

However that ferry is out for an "extended dry dock period".

But CalMac added that the MV Isle of Islay - one of four new ferries built in Turkey - will be in service towards the end of March.

It is being lined up to run between Kennacraig and Islay.

The single-vessel Brodick service has been delivered from Troon by MV Alfred since May 2023.

The charter has provided CalMac with vital extra capacity, but the arrangement has lasted far longer than expected.

The cost of the charter - which also includes crewing and fuel - is now more than double the £14.5m paid by Pentland Ferries for construction of the ship by a Vietnamese shipyard in 2019.

Pentland Ferries confirmed the current charter is due to finish on 28 February.

"The vessel will then be out of service for its scheduled annual overhaul period to the end of March," the operator said.

"A further update will follow."

It has not been confirmed if the vessel will be returning to Orkney.

Earlier a CalMac spokesperson said: "MV Glen Sannox will be back on Friday 6 March on the Troon-Brodick route.

"MV Caledonian Isles is currently running the Ardrossan-Brodick route."

MV Alfred has played a crucial stop gap role for CalMac, as the company struggled with a lack of ferries and an ageing fleet.

It has proven itself to be a solid workhorse, tough and reliable. And many at CalMac would be sad to see it go and yet again they may be looking to extend its charter.

But its twin hull design is very different from a typical CalMac ferry.

That's not the only difference. The vessel is lower and lighter than other CalMac vessels, and there's no restaurant on board.

Supporters say this ferry design makes it cheaper to build, and lighter in the water, so it uses less fuel and is easier to maintain.

Some think more of the CalMac fleet should be like Alfred.

But in spite of its recent success, the ferry agency CMAL seems unwilling to back this design.

For Alfred's owners, Pentland Ferries, this has been a profitable few years.

Alfred cost less than £15m to build. Nearly three years of charter to CalMac - at £1m a month - will have netted them about £35m.

For that, CalMac could have bought a similar vessel more than two times over.

But it is the price they have paid for gaps in their fleet.