As suspected, CalMac has blinked and negotiated a last-minute extension of the MV Alfred charter with Pentland Ferries.

As trailered previously on welovestornoway.com, today’s (Saturday, February 28) departure of MV Alfred for an annual refit has been pushed back.

The catamaran vessel, which has been providing back-up for the CalMac network since March 2023, will remain on station until MV Glen Sannox returns to service.

CalMac now plans to use MV Alfred to support the Arran ferry route between Troon and Brodick until Sunday, March 8.

Meanwhile, the deployment of MV Glen Sannox is currently under review and will be announced next week.

MV Alfred left the Pentland Firth crossing almost three years ago on what was originally intended to be a nine-month charter. However, the £1 million per month deal has been extended several times to allow the Pentland Ferries vessel to continue providing much-needed resilience to the ferry network, including services in the Western Isles.

Image content - Pentland Ferries

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