THE Ardrossan to Brodick sea crossing has been the main route from the Scottish mainland to the island of Arran for 190 years. 

However since last month, no ferries have run from the Ardrossan port, due to the failure of the Scottish government to ensure upgrading work was carried out to enable the new Glen Sannox ferry to dock. This is despite this new ferry being five years late. 

The new Glenn Sannox ferry has instead been using Troon harbour for the Brodick service. And the upgrading which was only necessary because of the design chosen for the two new ferries which were commissioned by Scottish government-owned CMAL and built at the publicly owned Ferguson Marine Shipyard, being agreed more than seven years ago has still not started, there has been no tendering process and the plan is still to be published.

This weekend the Save Ardrossan Harbour Campaign met to make known their support for the essential work needed to upgrade the harbour. The Glen Sannox, the new ferry which came into service in January was well over budget, took five years longer to build than predicted and isn’t able to berth in the port it was supposedly designed for.

The two ferries commissioned for the Ardrossan Brodick route were originally to cost £97 million but the cost has soared to £400m.

The Ardrossan to Brodick ferry crossing, a lifeline service, is the busiest passenger route in Scotland and is vital for communities, business and access to public services.

The economic damage to the communities of Arran and Ardrossan caused by the ongoing ferry crisis will never be able to be properly measured, and will be felt for years to come.

In 2018 the Ardrossan Harbour Project to upgrade the harbour was approved but has stalled at every turn since. The Ardrossan Harbour Task Force was set up by the Scottish government to drive forward the work at the harbour but hasn’t met since May 2024. The task force is jointly chaired by the Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop and North Ayrshire Council leader, SNP Councillor Marie Burns. The lack of progress is a national scandal.

The failure to develop Ardrossan Harbour yet again raises serious issues about who owns our ports and harbours. Peel Ports owns the harbour, along with much other coastal and industrial land along the Clyde and elsewhere across the UK.

Across the world strategic assets such as ports and harbour are owned by the state. However in the UK the privatisation by the Tories continues to mean that the public sector isn’t able to make the decisions needed to develop the economy in the public interest. 

Communities in North Ayrshire and Arran have been let down by this privatised model. North Ayrshire Labour has been calling for many years for the harbour to be brought into public ownership to get a more speedy upgrade of the Ardrossan port and offered to take it into the municipal ownership of North Ayrshire Council if the Scottish government would let them. 

The Scottish government repeatedly took the position that it would continue to attempt to get an acceptable deal with the port owner Peel which has led to the seven-year delay. The people and economy of North Ayrshire have been let down.

To support the campaign to save Ardrossan harbour sign the petition at tinyurl.com/SaveHarbour.

Katy Clark is Scottish Labour MSP for West Scotland (Region).