Negotiations to buy Ardrossan Harbour complete, says Transport Secretary

Negotiations to bring Ardrossan Harbour into public ownership have been completed, the Transport Secretary has said.

The facility is currently owned by Peel Ports, but has been sought by the Scottish Government’s ferry procurement arm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) since it became clear two new ferries serving the route between the mainland and the Isle of Arran would not be able to dock there.

The Glen Sannox entered service last year with its sister ship, the Glen Rosa, due to be handed over at the end of 2026.

As a result with the issues at the port, ferries have had to operate from Troon – down the Ayrshire coast – leaving Ardrossan without a ferry service for more than 18 months while the aging Caledonian Isles was out of service.

While it is not yet clear how much the Government has paid for the harbour, substantial work is expected to be required to make it suitable for the new ferries.

Speaking in Holyrood on Tuesday, Fiona Hyslop said: “I can confirm to the chamber today that the negotiations around purchase and wider legal agreements have now been concluded and will be signed shortly to confirm the purchase of Ardrossan by CMAL this month.

“This purchase will secure the port in public ownership to allow us to focus on the redevelopment of the facility as the primary mainland port for Arran.

“I cannot confirm the full details until the commercial deal and related agreements have formally concluded, but my previous updates have been clear that this has been a complex negotiation to bring about wider benefits for our ferry services in the longer term.”

She added: “There is work to be done to move forward to tender for the port redevelopment, but CMAL are already considering short-term work to ensure resilient operations whilst the MV Caledonian Isles continues to operate from Ardrossan and we are committed to funding a two-port service until the major work starts.”