Alfred Ship Details and Seafarer Feedback

**Title: 'Alfred' Trials Cease; Service Changes Ahead** On the afternoon of April 13, the vessel 'Alfred' made her way back to the Clyde after failing to successfully complete trials essential for her reliability on the Islay route. Plans are in place for her to resume service on the Troon-Brodick route later in the week, but first, she requires crucial ramp modifications. The earliest these modifications can be handled is by April 16, leading to a potential interruption in the Troon-Brodick service from April 14 to April 16. Despite the modifications needed for the standard service, there's a chance that the 'Alfred' could temporarily run between Troon and the concrete berth at Brodick without these adjustments. Discussions are ongoing to explore this interim service option. Regular services are anticipated to return to normal by April 17. In light of the 'Alfred's return, CalMac has decided to redeploy the 'Glen Sannox' to address network-wide challenges, exacerbated by the 'Loch Seaforth' experiencing damage to her clamshell bow door, which is undergoing urgent repairs. The 'Loch Seaforth' plays a vital role, operating daily passenger and overnight freight services between Ullapool and Stornoway, supplying essential goods to the Western Isles. Given the urgency of maintaining service levels amidst the repairs, the 'Glen Sannox' is scheduled to depart early on April 14. This timing will allow her to cover the Ullapool-Stornoway route from April 15 as it takes approximately 16 hours to reach Stornoway, ensuring continuity for passengers and freight services. Meanwhile, the 'Caledonian Isles' continues to operate according to schedule. Recent tidal surges at Kennacraig have complicated operations, with actual tides sometimes exceeding predictions by over a meter. This has affected the reliability of the vessel’s ramp for safely loading and unloading clients. As part of the ongoing assessment of service capabilities, CalMac is considering the potential deployment of 'Glen Sannox' to Islay once the 'Loch Seaforth' is back in service, allowing ‘Alfred’ to maintain operations on the Troon-Brodick route. Following the necessary ramp modifications set for April 16, the 'Alfred' is expected to follow an amended timetable starting April 17, aimed at bolstering network-wide service reliability.

**Title: End of Charter for 'Alfred' Signals Challenges Ahead for CalMac Ferries** In a critical development for CalMac's ferry services, the £1 million monthly charter for the 'Alfred' from Pentland Ferries is set to conclude on February 28. This expiration will create a gap in CalMac's capacity, reducing the resilience of the ferry network during a busy travel season. The sturdy catamaran has been a lifeline for the service, particularly after several extensions to its charter over the last three years. Contemplation regarding an extension of the charter has been ongoing, especially to address potential shortages on vital routes like Oban–Barra, particularly with the 'Isle of Lewis' undergoing an extended dry dock phase. However, Transport Scotland has clarified that no arrangements for an extension have been finalized. On February 22, hope emerged with the arrival of the new Turkish-built ferry, 'Isle of Islay,' in Greenock. Set to commence service in March, this new addition is anticipated to alleviate the reliance on the 'Alfred,' which was initially chartered in March 2023 for nine months, but has since been extended several times to support operations in the Western Isles. The overall cost of chartering the 'Alfred' since May 2023 has exceeded £17 million—surpassing the £14 million that Pentland Ferries paid for the vessel in 2019. Compounding the operational challenges, CalMac has reported the need for extensive steelwork on the 'Isle of Lewis.' Inspections uncovered significant steel wastage atop a fuel tank, necessitating repairs to secure regulatory approvals before the vessel can return to service. This situation is particularly pressing, as a temporary fix isn't feasible. The work could stretch up to three months, and the necessary removal of equipment such as the sewage treatment plant, ballast pumps, fire pumps, and related pipework is further prolonging the timeline. As a result of these developments, the 'Isle of Lewis' will unfortunately be out of commission for the rest of winter and won’t rejoin service until after the beginning of the summer timetable. This delay will coincide with maintenance on other ferries, including the 'Hebrides' (from February 27 to April 13), 'Loch Frisa' (from March 16 to April 7), and 'Finlaggan' (from April 20 to May 8). On a positive note, the 'Caledonian Isles' has successfully returned to service this week, providing five daily sailings between Ardrossan and Brodick. Additionally, work on the 'Glen Sannox' is nearing completion, which may offer further relief in the challenging operational landscape CalMac currently faces.

The 'Alfred', serving on the route Troon-Brodick, suffered a damaged lift, which needed to be repaired at the quay in Troon. On Jan 16, the ferry 'Isle of Arran' was inserted on the route, while repairs to the lift were being carried out, until Jan 22. If repairs were completed ahead of this date, the 'Isle of Arran' was to be redeployed. Customers requiring lift access were advised to book the 'Isle of Arran' sailings. On Jan 21, the lift was repaired and was back in operation withthe 3:50 p.m. sailing from Brodick.

The 'Alfred', serving on the route Troon-Brodick, got its propulsion fouled by a rope which had got caught in the propeller on the morning of Jan 12, 2026. The ship was sidelined in Troon, where divers attended the vessel and successfully removed the rope. The service was expected to resume with the 10:00 a.m. sailing from Troon.

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.