Protests in ‘ghost town’ where £400m ships don’t fit the harbour
Those unfamiliar with Scotland’s so-called ‘ferry fiasco’ would barely believe it is a true story.
The new vessels cost quadruple their original price tag, one was delivered seven years late, the other is still being built, and both are too big to fit the main harbour for their daily journeys to and from the Isle of Arran.
But in this latest chapter of the scandal, the unbelievable is very much part of the script. And, as Sky News has been hearing, the consequences are brutal.
“It is completely and utterly nuts,” one exasperated campaigner exclaims as we stand overlooking the deserted Ardrossan Harbour on Scotland’s mainland.
The town has been hit hard by the temporary closure of the harbour
The new ferries are too big for the harbour’s jetty and require an £80m upgrade
Ferries are being diverted along the coast to Troon and locals say businesses in Ardrossan are suffering
Ardrossan, on the Ayrshire coast, has been the main port for the ferry service to and from Arran for decades. It is the quickest, most efficient route.
But the 30-year-old ferry serving the islands for generations is failing and two new bespoke-designed ones were ordered, with them due to enter service from 2017.
Ardrossan has operated a ferry service to and from Arran for decades, as it is the quickest, most efficient route
The original £100m cost ballooned to £400m, the shipyard was bought by taxpayers amid financial crisis, one vessel finally started carrying passengers in January 2025 while the other is still being built.
And to add insult to injury, both are too big for Ardrossan Harbour’s jetty to cope with and require an £80m upgrade.
In the meantime, services are being diverted along the coast to Troon.
Ardrossan is the innocent victim of several costly blunders linked to the new ferry service
Protest as tensions rise in ‘ghost town’
Ardrossan was promised it would remain the primary port for connectivity to Arran. But now the community is in limbo and is fearing for its future.
Christine Cowie, from Save Ardrossan Harbour, told Sky News: “It is completely and utterly nuts.
“Why anybody would commission a ferry which doesn’t fit the harbour for the route it is meant for is crazy. I cannot understand it at all.
“Ardrossan is like an extension of Arran. A lot of people come here to the dentist and use other businesses they don’t have on the island which are losing money since the ferries have gone away.”
Christine Cowie from Save Ardrossan Harbour says Ardrossan is fearing for its future
A botched design process, mismanagement and a string of costly blunders have given the project the label of one of the biggest procurement disasters in the history of Scottish devolution.
People from Arran are joining Ardrossan campaigners on the mainland for a protest on Saturday. Hundreds are expected to gather as tensions boil over.
The group’s chairwoman Frances Gilmour said Ardrossan has become a “ghost town”.
She said: “It is so quiet. It is spooky. It’s frankly a disgrace. Businesses are suffering.
“Economically, this is the route. This is the economic route. We have the infrastructure. We just need the berths fixed.”
Frances Gilmour thinks Ardrossan has become a ‘ghost town’
The 33-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, which has been away over the winter for extensive repairs, is expected to return to Ardrossan next month. But locals question how reliable and sustainable that vessel is.
On the edge of the once bustling harbour carpark is the Bute MOT garage.
Manager Scott Revans says they rely on customers from Arran previously hopping off the ferry and leaving their car for repairs at their centre.
He told Sky News: “The harbour is a ghost town. We’d get the passing trade doing whatever customers need from batteries to punctures. It has had an impact on us.”
Scott Revans, who manages a garage, has been hit by a drop in passing trade from Arran
Could taxpayers pick up the bill?
Ardrossan Harbour is owned by private company Peel Ports.
The Scottish government is currently exploring buying the port, but the talks are a secret, with campaigners feeling left in the dark.
No one involved in the discussions would answer questions from Sky News about when they expect to alert communities to the next steps.
One of the two new ferries, the Glen Sannox, entered service in January but is too big to fit the main harbour. Pic: PA
Read more from Sky News:
Delayed ferry formally begins sailings
Fiasco-hit ferry removed from service
A spokesman for the Scottish government agency Transport Scotland said: “We absolutely understand people and communities’ views in favour of retaining Ardrossan as the mainland port and remain committed to ensuring the Arran ferry service is fit for the future.
“The Scottish government has instructed officials… to explore options on purchasing Ardrossan Port.
“We will of course update parliament once there is progress and an outcome to report, however, it would be inappropriate to get in the way of these complex and sensitive discussions.”
Jim McSporran, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: “Peel Ports Group welcomes the Scottish government’s statement that it intends to explore the potential purchase of Ardrossan Harbour.
“Regardless of the outcome of this process, our willingness to invest in the harbour remains steadfast. We take comfort that the port continues to operate this lifeline route and that it remains the port of choice for the people and businesses of Arran and Ardrossan.”
Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP
“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Pic: AP
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy get to the victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
UK
Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way
Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.
The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.
It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.
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British Steel: What happens next?
Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.
“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.
“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”
Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks
Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.
Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.
However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.
“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”
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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’
Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.
The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.
The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.
Read more:
A sticking plaster, not a solution: What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform all played their part
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.
“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”
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