Alfred

CalMac has extended the charter of the 'Alfred' to the end of the year. The ferry will provide additional support within the Clyde and Hebrides network until Dec 31. CalMac was due to return the vessel to Pentland Ferries in May, when there were expectations the 'Caledonian Isles' would be finally repaired. But the Caley Isles failed to appear this summer and the 'Alfred'’s stay was continued to October. Delays with the handover of the 'Isle of Islay' also forced CalMac’s hand in continuing the hire especially as the ship she is effectively replacing, 'Hebridean Isles', was removed from the fleet in 2024. Potential drydock delays preventing ferries from returning to service following annual overhaul was another influencing factor. CalMac and the Scottish Government are due to officiallyed confirm the charter extension on Sep 8. Instead of heading back to her own Orkney route on the Pentland Firth at the end of CalMac’s summer timetable, the 'Alfred' will cover west coast routes during the first half of the winter drydock period. The Scottish Government wass expected to provide over £2.2 million pounds to CalMac towards the 'Alfred'’s charter extension.

The 'Alfred', serving on the route Troon-Brodick, suffered an issue with the bow thruster that required the attendance of divers on Aug 28. As a consequence, the following sailings have been cancelled: Departure Troon - 1:35 p.m. Departure Brodick - 3:45 p.m. All other sailings were unaffected. The 'Alfred' is serving the route along with the ferry 'Glen Sannox' due to ongoing investigations of the 'Caledonian Isles', which caused that there is no scheduled service to Arran and between Ardrossan and Brodick.

A passenger has been rescued after falling overboard from the 'Alfred' on Aug 16 shortly after 1.35 p.m. in the Firth of Clyde on the Troon to Brodrick route. CalMac had informed passengers that the ferry’s arrival would be delayed due to an emergency incident. The passenger was picked up by a rescue boat which was deployed by the ferry crew. The 'Alfred' was rerouted back to Troon harbour after the rescue operation. The passenger, who was understood to be conscious, was passed to the Scottish Ambulance Service. Sailings of the 'Alfred' were delayed for the remainder of the day.

The ÄAlfred' was removed from service on July 6 for essential maintenance, and for this purpose the ship was sent to Ayr, where it berthed on July 7. The works were expected to take until July 25. The ferry 'Glen Sannox' will operate the route Troon-Brodick, and the 'Isle of Arran' will operate the Ardrossan-Brodick service during this period.

The 'Alfred', serving on the route Troon - Brodick, required to carry out sea trials after previous overhaul works on March 27. As a consequence, the scheduled departures from Troon at 1.35 p.m. and from Brodick at 3.45 p.m. had to be cancelled. The service was resumed with the sailing from Troon at 6 p.m.

On Feb 19, the 'Alfred', sailing on the route Troon - Brodick, suffered a technical issue which at required the attendance of contractors at the quay in Troon. As a consequence, the scheduled departures from Troon at 09:15 a.m., 1.:35 p.m. and 6 p.m. and on Feb 20 at 09:15 a.m. and from Brodick at 7:30 a.m. and 11:25 a.m. as well as on Feb 20 at 07:30 a.m. and at 11:25 a.m. have been cancelled, and affected customers were contacted. The technical issue was resolved on Feb 20, but due to adverse weather, the departure at 1:35 p.m. from Troon was delayed until 2:00 p.m., which meant a knock-on delay to the 3:45 p.m. sailing departing Brodick. The service remained liable to weather disruption.

The 'Alfred', sailing on the route Troon-Brodick, suffered a technical issue affecting the sewage system on Jan 28, 2025. The issue has impacted the crew's compensatory rest. As a consequence, the scheduled departures from Brodick at 3:45 p.m. and from Troon at 6:00 p.m. had to be cancelled.