Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen

Headline route information

  • Mainland port: Kennacraig
  • Island port: Port Askaig and Port Ellen
  • Check-in-time: 10-minutes prior to departure for passengers and 30-minutes for cars
  • Crossing time:
    • Kennacraig – Port Askaig: 1 hour and 55 minutes
    • Kennacraig – Port Ellen: 2 hours and 10 minutes
  • Vessels:
    • MV Finlaggan
    • MV Hebridean Isles
  • Overnight berth: Kennacraig, Port Ellen and Port Askaig. One vessel always lies at Kennacraig and the other at one of the two Islay ports

Overview

The Islay service is operated from the mainland port of Kennacraig – midway down the Kintyre Peninsula – to two ports on the island, Port Askaig (which is owned and operated by Argyll & Bute Council) and Port Ellen (which is owned by CMAL and operated by CFL).

It should be noted that Islay is unique in the context of Scottish ferry services in having two ports each serving the same mainland destination. Whilst this is a historic anomaly, it is operationally valuable and highly beneficial for Islay to have the two ports. Port Askaig and Port Ellen are complementary to each other in that they are affected by different wind and sea conditions and thus when one port is unusable due to conditions, the other will generally be available. 

The route is currently operated by two vessels, the year-round vessel MV Finlaggan and the secondary summer vessel MV Hebridean Isles. It should be noted that the operation of the Islay route will change in 2025 with the introduction of two new vessels, MV Isle of Islay and MV Loch Indaal. 

Step 1: Route Service Level

The table below sets out the incremental ‘Route Service Levels’ which have been developed for this methodology:

Table 18.1: Route Service Level definitions
Level Description Example
A Shared single vessel, single crewed Several routes in Orkney including: Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre; Stromness - Graemsay / Hoy; and Houton - Lyness / Flotta
B Shared single vessel, with more than a single crew Uig - Tarbert / Lochmaddy (summer, currently)
C Dedicated single vessel, single crewed Various 'small vessel' routes in the CHFS network, e.g., Sconser - Raasay, Tayinloan - Gigha etc
D Dedicated single vessel with more than a single crew Colintraive - Rhubodach, which uses a shift system to offer an extended operating day
E Two dedicated vessels, each with a single crew There are no routes with this operating model currently, Wemyss Bay - Rothesay being the closest
F Two dedicated vessels, with one operating with more than a single crew Several routes on the Shetland inter-island network, e.g., Symbister - Laxo / Vidlin
G Two dedicated vessels, with both operating with more than a single crew CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL) Gourock - Dunoon route

The operating day of a single crewed vessel is limited to the maximum hours that can be delivered by a single crew within the hours of work regulations and crew contractual agreements. ‘More than a single crew’ is where a small number of additional crew are added to the complement to extend the operating day. However, this falls short of a full extra crew.

The table below allocates the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route to its relevant Route Service Level for both the winter and summer timetables, with commentary provided in the following sections.

Table 18.2: Allocation of Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route to levels
Timetable/Route Service Level Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F Level G
Winter No No No Yes No No No
Summer No No No No No No Yes

Where the table refers to ‘more than a single crew’ (Levels B, D, F and G), this could be a small additional crew complement to extend the day or a full second crew. The crewing model will be described in the narrative which follows.

It should be recognised that the Islay vessels operate occasional services to Colonsay (summer Wednesdays and Saturdays, which extend to Oban, and selected winter Saturdays). However, the two vessels are by-and-large dedicated to the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route, hence the Level D (winter) and Level G (summer) designations.

Categorisation of waters

The Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route operates in ‘open seas’ and thus is governed by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018. The provisions of this legislation are covered in Merchant Shipping Notice (MSN) 1877.

The key stipulations of MSN 1877 are as follows:

  • On a sea-going vessel, the minimum hours of rest are:
    • 10-hours in any 24-hour period
    • 77-hours in any seven-day period (i.e., a maximum 91-hour week)
    • The 10-hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which is to be at least 6-hours in length
    • It is also noted that, where a seafarer whose normal period of rest on board a ship is disturbed by a call-out, they should have a period of compensatory rest, as detailed in the Merchant Shipping Notice, (MSN) 1877 (M) Amendment 1.

The Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route is operated by ships from the ‘Major Vessel’ fleet. On the ‘Major Vessel’ fleet, the crew live aboard and the operation is centred around a single live-aboard crew which operates on a two-weeks on, two-weeks off basis. The timetable is generally structured around the maximum number of hours that a single crew can operate on a daily and indeed weekly basis, in line with MSN 1877. 

The number of crew cabins on the ‘Major Vessel’ fleet is therefore a constraining factor on the number of crew which can be housed onboard and thus the level of service which can be operated, although a small number of shore-based staff can be added to lengthen the operating day. 

Length of operating day

Winter

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week on the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route.

Table 18.3: MV Finlaggan – Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen, length of operating day – winter (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 1:00 14:40 1:00 16:40
Tuesday 1:00 14:40 1:00 16:40
Wednesday 1:00 14:40 1:00 16:40
Thursday 1:00 14:40 1:00 16:40
Friday 1:00 14:40 1:00 16:40
Saturday 1:00 9:40 1:00 11:40
Sunday 1:00 11:55 1:00 13:55
Total 7:00 94:55 7:00 108:55

MV Finlaggan operates well beyond the 91-hour week. This is managed through a core vessel-based crew supplemented by shore-based crew who are either local or make use of ‘Bunkabin’ accommodation.

Summer

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week for the primary vessel on the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route (MV Finlaggan).

Table 18.4: Vessel 1 (MV Finlaggan) – Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 1:00 13:05 1:00:00 15:05
Tuesday 1:00 13:20 1:00:00 15:20
Wednesday 1:00 15:50 1:00 17:50
Thursday 1:00 13:20 1:00 15:20
Friday 1:00 15:50 1:00 17:50
Saturday 1:00 13:45 1:00 15:45
Sunday 1:00 10:35 1:00 12:35
Total 7:00 95:45 7:00 109:45

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week for the secondary vessel on the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route (historically MV Hebridean Isles). 

Table 18.5: Vessel 2 (MV Hebridean Isles) – Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 1:00 12:55 1:00 14:55
Tuesday 1:00 12:55 1:00 14:55
Wednesday 1:00 13:10 1:00 15:10
Thursday 1:00 12:55 1:00 14:55
Friday 1:00 15:10 1:00 17:10
Saturday 1:00 15:10 1:00 17:10
Sunday 1:00 9:55 1:00 11:55
Total 7:00 92:10 7:00 106:10

On the Islay run, the core vessel-based crew on MV Finlaggan and MV Hebridean Isles are supplemented by shore-based crew who are either local or make use of ‘Bunkabin’ accommodation, allowing the week to be extended beyond the regulation 91-hours for a single crew.

Route specific characteristics

  • The Islay route is the most freight intensive on the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Services network, carrying approximately one CV for every six cars in 2022. Indeed, Islay has experienced almost continuous growth in CV carryings since 1992 (from an existing high base), bucking the trend on most other routes where there has generally been a decline in CV carryings following the introduction of RET.
  • Outwith ferry operations, Port Ellen is an essential facility for the import of grain to Islay. The grain vessel MV Victress visits the island for approximately 3-4 days every three weeks. When she comes alongside on the fixed ramp berth, the dedicated grain handling equipment on the pier is used to unload the cargo and move it via a piped conveyor to the silo block at the head of the pier. The unloaded grain is thereafter collected by the local hauliers and taken the short distance to the Diageo-owned Port Ellen maltings at the head of Port Ellen Bay. The implications of this grain handling operation for the ferry service are threefold:
    • The fixed ramp berth at Port Ellen is unavailable to the ferry service for approximately 3-4 days every three weeks
    • The fixed ramp berth is an additional berth to the linkspan berth and permits Ro-Ro operations within a given tidal range.
    • When she is in port, the grain boat overhangs the berth, preventing the use of the roundhead by the ferry for manoeuvring when required by the weather conditions
    • The collection of grain from the silo places additional pressure on the already constrained landside operations at Port Ellen
  • Port Askaig is also the point of embarkation for the Argyll & Bute Council service to Jura

Step 2: Analysis for connectivity

This section summarises headline connectivity in terms of the number of ferry connections provided and time on-mainland and on-island. The interactive dashboard includes further detailed connectivity analysis, including information related to onward connectivity.

Winter Connections

In the winter timetable period, the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route is operated solely by MV Finlaggan. The tables below summarise the first departure, last departure, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island, with the two Islay ports grouped together for ease of reference. It should be noted also that there are several winter timetables for this route – the ‘core’ winter timetable has been used, 18th November 2023 to 5th March 2024 in this instance:

Table 18.6(a): Kennacraig - Islay winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon-Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:30 08:00 13:00
Last arrival 22:10 14:55 22:10
No. of sailings 3 2 2
Time on mainland 06:05 00:35 05:35
Time on island Nil Nil Nil
Table 18.6(b): Islay - Kennacraig winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon-Fri Sat Sun
First departure 10:15 13:00 10:15
Last arrival 19:55 17:40 19:55
No. of sailings 3 1 3
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil
Time on island 10:50 03:05 05:20

The key points of note from the above tables are as follows:

  • MV Finlaggan operates three return sailings per day between Kennacraig and Islay Monday to Friday, one to Port Ellen and two to Port Askaig
  • On a Saturday, the 08:00 departure from Kennacraig to Port Askaig continues on to Colonsay, arriving back in Kennacraig (via Port Askaig) at 14:55. MV Finlaggan then makes a single crossing to Port Ellen, where she overnights
  • On a Sunday, the first sailing of the day is from Port Ellen to Kennacraig, after which two return sailings are made to Port Askaig
  • Time on mainland and time on island are calculated from published timetables and may differ slightly from the interactive dashboard, which is based on actual departure and arrival times.

Summer Connections

In the summer timetable period, the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route is conventionally operated by two vessels, MV Finlaggan and MV Hebridean Isles. The tables below summarise the first departure, last departure, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island, with the two Islay ports grouped together for ease of reference:

Table 18.7(a): Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:00 10:00
Last arrival 20:05 19:55 22:50 19:55 22:10 22:10 19:55
No. of sailings 5 5 4 5 6 4 4
Time on mainland 08:40 09:05 08:40 08:50 11:10 08:40 06:10
Time on island Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Table 18.7(b): Port Askaig/Port Ellen - Kennacraig summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Sailing Details Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
First departure 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:00 09:45
Last arrival 19:55 20:20 20:10 20:20 22:50 19:55 20:20
No. of sailings 5 5 4 5 6 4 4
Time on mainland Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Time on island 08:50 08:40 11:35 08:40 11:05 11:05 05:50

The key points of note from the above tables are as follows:

  • Whilst complex on paper, the principle of the Islay timetable is that there is an equal number of ‘to’ and ‘from’ crossings each day. One vessel will always overnight at Kennacraig, providing an 07:00 departure to Islay (Monday to Saturday), and the other at either Port Askaig or Port Ellen, providing an 07:00 departure to the mainland (Monday to Saturday)
  • There are fewer crossings on a Wednesday because the 09:45 departure from Kennacraig undertakes a round trip to Oban via Colonsay. With the exception of the 09:45 ex Kennacraig and the 20:45 ex Port Askaig which bookend the day, the Islay route is otherwise operated by a single vessel on a Wednesday. The same happens on a Saturday, the key difference being that the vessel returning from Oban terminates at Port Askaig and overnights there
  • There are fewer crossings on a Sunday, with both vessels operating two return crossings

Connecting public transport

The interactive dashboard incorporates a detailed breakdown of onward connectivity from all ports on the network, including connecting bus and rail services and contour-based journey time mapping. Key headlines include:

  • With the exception of the first sailing from Kennacraig and the last arrival at Kennacraig, almost all sailings are met by the 926 bus (which operates between Glasgow and Campbeltown) from / to Glasgow. Integration with connecting / onward public transport is therefore well-coordinated
  • There are two bus routes on Islay which run between 07:00 and 18:00 Monday to Saturday and which both call at Port Askaig and Port Ellen. These services also call at Islay Airport
  • Foot and car passengers arriving at Port Askaig can transfer onto the Port Askaig – Feolin (Jura) ferry
  • Islay has direct flights to Glasgow as part of an aviation Public Service Obligation route procured by Scottish Government. There are two rotations Monday to Friday and single rotations on a Saturday and Sunday (although this timetable may change across the year)

The figure below shows onward connectivity (drive times) by car from Kennacraig and the Islay ports (and also Colonsay as an integral but infrequent component of the Islay route). This is broken down to journey times of 0 minutes (in blue), 1-30 minutes (in green), 31-60 minutes (in yellow), 61-90 minutes (in amber) and 91-120 minutes (in red):

As described in the text, onward journey times by car from Kennacraig and the Islay ports.
Figure 18.1: Onward journey times by car from Kennacraig and the Islay ports

Step 3: Carryings, capacity utilisation and performance

This section sets out the key route headlines with regards to carryings, capacity utilisation and performance – described in the form of answers to questions. The data / charts underlying this commentary are included in Appendix A, and detailed route specific data, including sailing-by-sailing analysis, is provided in the interactive dashboard. The appendix covers the period to the end of calendar year 2022, as a full year of 2023 sailing-by-sailing data was not available at the time of its production. The data cover the Islay legs and Colonsay.

What have been the key supply-side changes since 2014?

2012

  • Whilst outwith the stated time horizon, it is worth noting that Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was introduced onto the Islay routes in October 2012. This led to the average passenger and car fares being reduced by 26% and 29% respectively, significant reductions in absolute terms, this can be seen on page 16 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.
  • The introduction of RET led to a 2% reduction in passenger carryings and a modest 5% increase in car carryings. This modest growth potentially reflected capacity pressures at peak times
  • The reclassification of the length at which a vehicle is classed as commercial from five metres to six metres led to a 5% reduction in commercial vehicle (CV) and coach carryings, as some goods that would previously have travelled in HGVs switched to vans, as noted on page 25 of Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.
  • This is however much smaller than the reduction experienced on other longer routes, partly because Islay has such high freight volumes, much of which of is bulk, meaning that conventional HGVs offer significant economies of scale

2016

  • The Saturday Kennacraig – Port Askaig - Colonsay service was introduced, extending to Oban in the summer months

2023 and 2024

  • The Islay route has been subject to disruption throughout 2023 and 2024 due to a range of breakdowns across the fleet, including an extended service outage for MV Hebridean Isles in 2023. MV Isle of Arran was transferred to the route in summer 2023 and the Ardrossan - Campbeltown route suspended

How have carryings changed over time?

  • The story on the Islay route has in general been one of long-term growth in carryings, stretching back to the early 1990s
  • Passenger carryings had been growing strongly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing by 21% between 2014 and 2019. However, passenger numbers have not fully recovered from the pandemic, standing at only 87% of their 2019 level in 2022
  • Car carryings grew by 24% over the equivalent period. Car carryings have also not fully recovered their 2019 level, but the recovery was stronger than for passengers, standing at 93% of their 2019 level in 2022
  • The key trend on the Islay route has however been one of almost uninterrupted growth in CV traffic. CV carryings grew by 17% between 2014 and 2019, and this was also one of the few routes to buck the trend of a reduction in CV carryings when the length at which vehicle is defined as a CV was changed from five metres to six metres upon the introduction of RET
  • CV carryings in 2022 were also 112% of their 2019 level, with the Scotch whisky industry in particular driving growth

How has reliability and punctuality changed over time?

  • Cancellations and delays on the Islay route have been steadily increasing in recent years – over 20% of sailings in 2021 were either cancelled or delayed, although this number fell back slightly in 2022

Why are sailings cancelled?

  • As is common across most routes, the primary cause of cancellations is generally adverse weather. The Islay route is exposed, and the Kennacraig – Port Ellen connection in particular is susceptible to prevailing south-westerly winds
  • Mechanical problems have however become an increasing issue in recent years and were the main cause of cancellations in 2021 and 2022. The second vessel on the route, MV Hebridean Isles, is one of the oldest in the fleet and has suffered several sustained periods of service outage in recent years
  • Given wider pressures on the fleet, the Islay route has also on occasions been temporarily reduced to a single vessel service in recent years, accounting for the high proportion of “Scottish Government approved” cancellations in 2021 and 2022
  • A small number of sailings each year are diverted from Port Ellen to Port Askaig. This typically occurs when the grain vessel, MV Victress, is on the fixed ramp berth at Port Ellen. This vessel overhangs the berth and prevents the ferry using the roundhead in inclement weather when manoeuvring onto berth. On occasions where the roundhead is required and the grain vessel is in port, the sailing can be diverted to Port Askaig rather than cancelled

Why are sailings delayed?

  • There are a plethora of different reasons for delay on the Islay route
  • Adverse weather is by and large the main cause of delay. However, knock-on delays from previous sailings and loading related delays are also prominent, highlighting the capacity pressure which the route is consistently under (see below)
  • Reflecting the cancellations position, a combination of mechanical problems and “Scottish Government approved” delays have also been increasing in recent years

How many days per year do services operate to timetable?

  • There is variability in the number of days which operate to timetable, reflecting the discussion around cancellations and delays set out above. It is notable though that from a high point in 2017 when 60% of sailing days operated to timetable (i.e., all sailings on that day arrived on time), this reduced to 47% in 2021 and 48% in 2022
  • The Kennacraig – Islay - Colonsay route is however intensively operated, and a better measure here is the percentage of individual sailings operated to time. This has generally been around the 80%-85% mark over the period 2014-2022. The stark drop-off noted in relation to sailing days is not repeated with respect to individual sailings, highlighting that the majority of sailings do operate to timetable

How often has the vehicle deck been full or nearly full?

2014-2022

  • Vehicle deck capacity pressures on the Islay run have become progressively more acute in recent years, in line with the growth in overall route carryings
  • In 2022, almost 40% of sailings were effectively full, with a further circa quarter having a vehicle deck utilisation of between 75%-89%. This was driven to some degree by disruption across the route in that year, but there has overall been a steady growth in the number of high utilisation sailings
  • Indeed, since 2016, around a 20%-30% of all Islay sailings have effectively been full from a vehicle-deck perspective
  • Passenger capacity is rarely an issue on the route

2022 by month

  • Unlike most other routes on the network, where capacity pressures are highly concentrated in the summer, the Islay route experiences sustained pressure throughout the year caused by its base commercial vehicle demand (although this is amplified by background summer traffic to some extent)
  • In 2022, February and November were particularly problematic months, which is likely due to the route reducing to a single vessel due to either scheduled drydocking or the breakdown or redeployment of MV Hebridean Isles to cover a breakdown elsewhere in the fleet

Forthcoming Changes

The analysis presented above reflects the Kennacraig – Port Askaig / Port Ellen route in its current form. It is important to note however that the operation of this route will likely change when MV Isle of Islay and MV Loch Indaal are introduced onto the route and following the retirement of MV Hebridean Isles in November 2024. The redevelopment of Port Ellen will also provide fit-for-purpose berthing facilities for both the ferry and the grain vessel. The preceding analysis will therefore need to be updated once this new tonnage is introduced.