Port Ellen Harbour and New Ferry News

After the Ileach revealed the news about the possible ferry and Port Ellen harbour problems, it's now up to the politicians to get involved in the discussion. In Ileach number 36_12 appeared two articles with reactions and responses from Councillor Robin Currie and Jamie McGrigor, Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, who raised questions in the Scottish Parliament. In a third article you can read a review from John Davidson on the Scottish Ferries Review at ICCI, which was held mid April.

Currie demands redevelopment of Port Ellen Harbour: Summing up in his address to the Ferries Review meeting held this week on Islay, Councillor Robin Currie said, “For years the Islay community fought long and hard to get two vessels operating to Islay throughout the year and we are content that this is now in CalMac’s undertaking which is the guarantee we sought. Myself and the community have also always stated that Islay, which generates so much to the UK Treasury, also requires the two ports of Port Ellen and Port Askaig. Nothing has changed, that is what we want, that is what we need and that is what we must have.” Continue reading....
Other stakeholders at the meeting endorsed this view and pressed Scottish Government officials, CMAL and others to do all in their power to ensure that monies would be available for the re-development of Port Ellen and that a decision should be made sooner rather than later to facilitate the new ferry when she comes to Islay in spring 2011. It was confirmed by a CMAL official that if they knew before August/September that sufficient money was available for Port Ellen, then the works could be at a satisfactory stage for the new vessel arriving providing the necessary consents are in place. Speaking after the meeting, Cllr. Currie said, “I would urge as many people as possible to write to the Scottish Government and their local MSPs expressing the real need for work to be undertaken at Port Ellen in time for the new vessel. I met the Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson last week and reiterated that point to him. I am confident that if enough pressure is put on then what is a real need will be addressed.”

Transport Minister responds to McGrigor over Port Ellen: Following the report in the Ileach which revealed that the new Islay ferry will not be able to interface to the existing pier at Port Ellen, Jamie McGrigor, Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, tabled a series of questions in the Scottish Parliament to Stewart Stevenson who is Minister for Transport. The questions, and the answers supplied, are reproduced here in full.

Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns of local people on Islay and in particular in Port Ellen that the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry cannot be accommodated at Port Ellen.
Mr Stewart Stevenson: The new vessel to serve Islay is due for delivery in Spring 2011 and is being financed by a £24.5 million loan from the Scottish Government to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. This new vessel was designed to serve Islay’s needs for many years into the future and as such will be longer, wider, more powerful, more manoeuvrable and have greater carrying capacity than either of the vessels that presently serve Islay. These significant changes in dimensions are the reasons why this new vessel cannot fit the existing berthing facilities at Port Ellen that were intended to accommodate smaller vessels. As owners of the Port Ellen pier, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is currently developing options for major improvements to the berthing and passenger facilities. Considerable investment has already been made at Port Askaig and the new vessel will be able to berth there.

JM: To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons were for the announcement by Caledonian MacBrayne that the new Islay ferry cannot be accommodated at Port Ellen.
SS: As the owners of the Port Ellen pier, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is committed to keeping all interested parties informed about the future use of the Port Ellen pier and, in particular, its ability to accommodate the new vessel that is due to be introduced in 2011. Although it was initially thought that the new vessel could use the facilities at Port Ellen, subsequent detailed work indicated that the vessel ramp would not be aligned with the existing ageing linkspan. Once that became apparent, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd made that information publicly available and has continued to consult local interested parties about the development of options for major improvements to berthing and passenger facilities at Port Ellen. Indeed, the company held further public meetings on Islay on 9 March 2009 and in Tarbert on 10 March 2009 as part of its commitment to keep interested parties informed.

JM: To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the impact of the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry not being accommodated at Port Ellen will be on the economy of (a) Islay and (b) Port Ellen.
SS: The new vessel will be larger and more manoeuvrable than the existing Islay vessels. This is expected to improve the reliability of the service to Port Askaig in bad weather. The second vessel that would be deployed would still be able to use the Port Ellen berth, so the impact of the new vessel not being able to be accommodated at Port Ellen should not be significant.

JM: To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to improve the linkspan and infrastructure at Port Ellen to allow it to accommodate larger vessels such as the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry.
SS: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd estimates that the minimum costs of upgrading Port Ellen to accommodate the new ferry vessel would be ÂŁ10.9 million at current prices. If a new terminal building and land reclamation to provide improved vehicle marshalling and a new berth for grain vessels were also included, the estimated cost would be ÂŁ16 million at current prices.

JM: To ask the Scottish Executive what investment it is making, or plans to make, to upgrade the linkspan and infrastructure at Port Ellen. SS : Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd expects to start soon on detailed ground investigation at Port Ellen and related design work. Parallel to this will be the progression of a Harbour Revision Order (HRO) to provide the necessary planning approvals. As with all major capital works projects, the actual construction start date would depend on affordability and the availability of funding.

JM: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will guarantee that the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry will be able to be accommodated at Kennacraig. SS: Subject to some modifications which will be carried out prior to delivery of the new vessel in 2011, it is expected that the new Islay ferry will be able to be accommodated at Kennacraig.

JM: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will guarantee that Islay will continue to be served by two ferries after 2011 and the introduction of the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry.
SS: It is for CalMac Ferries Ltd to ensure that it maintains sufficient carrying capacity to meet its obligations under the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract. Similarly, that contract enables the Scottish Government to meet through subsidy payments CalMac’s costs of leasing the vessels necessary to deliver those obligations. The new Islay vessel will have considerably greater capacity than the vessel that it will replace. The Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract specifies a two vessel service from Kennacraig to Islay and that is what will continue to be provided.

John Davidson on the Scottish Ferries Review at ICCI: Various representatives from islands’ organisations, including both Islay and Jura Community Councils, local elected members, distilling, transport and farming interests, together with the Transport Forum, were invited to attend a seminar about a planned public consultation which will happen later this year. The review team who were present consisted of civil servants, staff from CalMac and the infrastructure owner Caledonian Maritime assets, HITRANS and Argyll and Bute Council.

Judith Ainsley from the Scottish Government made the initial presentation explaining the background to the seminar. She went on to say that the whole exercise was going to be dependent on the outcome of a European Union enquiry into the processes of procuring the present ferry arrangements across the Hebrides. This meant that she could give no guarantees as to when full public consultation would take place but stated that she intended to try to stick to the proposed schedule starting in June and ending in September with a report to ministers thereafter. The Ferries Review is to take a long term look at ferry services – apparently until 2022 – and is linked to the National Strategic Transport Review. The Ferries Review is to look at all publicly funded routes whoever operates them, be they councils, CalMac or communities. No potential domestic route will be excluded from consideration so perhaps a Campbeltown Ardrossan route may be looked at after all. Both the Jura CC and the Development Trust pressed the team about proposals for Jura as it is the only island specifically mentioned in the brief from ministers. However, they were unable to get a commitment from the team to visit Jura during the formal, public consultation.

The presentations made to the meeting are on the government website, have been passed to the Ileach and are on the CVS website www.argyllcommunities.org/islay. In response to questions, Guy Platten the CMAL Managing Director said he saw no reason for the full Business case not to be published and available for the community of the islands to see some transparency in the process. The issue of Kennacraig being prioritised first was raised and it became evident that the principal reason for that was to accommodate the new ferry. The team were pressed hard on this issue and conceded that the pier there could be made fit for the new ferry by the removal of the sunken barge. Issues of livestock husbandry and driver time for freight transport, as well as inconvenience for islanders were cited as reasons for looking again at Kennacraig for long term investment in a suitable pier closer to the end of the West Loch; that the current haste to commit capital to Kennacraig would mean that this option wouldn’t be considered for some time. From the floor it was pointed out that this had been looked into some time ago and the planning and other costs had ruled it out. Dave Duthie from HITRANS made the point that considerable investment was being considered now and that if there are short term measures which would make the new ferry fit Kennacraig, they should be considered.

All the islanders present expressed their frustration that once more Islay was in the position where a new boat was ordered and that it did not fit any of the current infrastructure on the island. CMAL stated that they had only realised at the detailed design stage that although the new ferry could come alongside the pier at Port Ellen it would be unable to use the linkspan! They were adamant however that this could be resolved in time for the new ferry if they were given sufficient funds from the government. They also reiterated that they had advised Argyll and Bute Council of the requirements for the new ferry but this was disputed by the local member.

It then transpired that CMAL will be both grant giver and grant recipient in respect of the funding of any pier development. The government have put them in charge of assessing the bids for funding from all ferry port operators! They then sought to assure that they wouldn’t exploit this position. In a competitive process, perhaps Islay needs them to and make sure that they give themselves the funds for Port Ellen as well as Kennacraig! Finally, Robin Currie made the point that Islay has made its views clear on several occasions – that there should be two ferries in operation from two ports on the island – and the review should not allow any diversion from that.

This story was published with kind permission of the Ileach local newspaper.