Tarbert (Loch Fyne) - Portavadie
Headline route information
- Kintyre port: Tarbert (Loch Fyne)
- Cowal port: Portavadie
- Check-in-time: 10-minutes prior to departure for passengers and cars
- Crossing time: 25 minutes
- Vessels:
- Summer: MV Isle of Cumbrae
- Winter: Various
- Overnight berth: Winter: Tarbert (Loch Fyne)
Introduction
The route between Tarbert (Loch Fyne, LF) on the Kintyre Peninsula and Portavadie on the Cowal Peninsula offers a significant shortcut for those travelling from Kintyre to Cowal and, for some, West Central Scotland via Dunoon (and vice versa).
Tarbert LF – Portavadie is operated by a dedicated vessel in the summer – this vessel is MV Isle of Cumbrae, one of the oldest vessels in the fleet (built in 1976). In the winter, the vessel which operates the route also provides a single daily return crossing to Lochranza in Arran, providing a dangerous goods service for Arran when the closed deck MV Caledonian Isles is operating the Ardrossan – Brodick route on her own.
Step 1: Route Service Level
The table below sets out the incremental ‘Route Service Levels’ which have been developed for this methodology:
| 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 |
Please note, 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.
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.
The table below allocates the Tarbert LF - Portavadie route to its relevant Route Service Level for both the winter and summer timetables, with commentary provided in the following sections.
| Timetable/Route Service Level | Level A | Level B | Level C | Level D | Level E | Level F | Level G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Summer | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Categorisation of waters
The Tarbert LF - Portavadie 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 per the Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1877 (M) Amendment 1
The Tarbert LF - Lochranza route is operated by ships from the ‘Small Vessel’ fleet, with crew living ashore. 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.
Length of operating day
Winter
The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week for the Tarbert LF – Portavadie service. For the avoidance of doubt, the table reflects the total hours of the vessel across the week over the Tarbert LF – Lochranza and Tarbert LF – Portavadie routes.
| Day | Start-Up | Sailing-Day | Close Down | Length of operating day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1:00 | 11:10 | 0:20 | 12:30 |
| Tuesday | 1:00 | 11:10 | 0:20 | 12:30 |
| Wednesday | 1:00 | 11:10 | 0:20 | 12:30 |
| Thursday | 1:00 | 11:10 | 0:20 | 12:30 |
| Friday | 1:00 | 11:10 | 0:20 | 12:30 |
| Saturday | 1:00 | 11:10 | 0:20 | 12:30 |
| Sunday | 1:00 | 10:10 | 0:20 | 11:30 |
| Total | 7:00 | 77:10 | 2:20 | 86:30 |
In the winter, the crew are primarily based in Tarbert and the surrounding area, so will travel home at night. Any additional relief crew covering leave or sickness are provided with accommodation locally.
Summer
The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week in summer.
| Day | Start-Up | Sailing-Day | Close Down | Length of operating day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 0:20 | 11:55 | 0:20 | 12:35 |
| Tuesday | 0:20 | 11:55 | 0:20 | 12:35 |
| Wednesday | 0:20 | 11:55 | 0:20 | 12:35 |
| Thursday | 0:20 | 11:55 | 0:20 | 12:35 |
| Friday | 0:20 | 11:55 | 0:20 | 12:35 |
| Saturday | 0:20 | 11:55 | 0:20 | 12:35 |
| Sunday | 0:20 | 10:55 | 0:20 | 11:35 |
| Total | 2:20 | 82:25 | 2:20 | 87:05 |
The crewing arrangements in summer are equivalent to those in the winter, with a single shore-based crew operating the service on any given day.
Route specific characteristics
- As noted in the introduction, the primary role of the single return crossing between Tarbert LF and Lochranza in the winter months is for the conveyance of dangerous goods that cannot be carried on the closed deck MV Caledonian Isles. When the open deck MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa are introduced onto the Ardrossan – Brodick route, this requirement will be removed and the future form of the winter service may be reviewed
- A tidal timetable operated for 14 days in the winter 2023/24. There is no tidal timetable in the summer as MV Isle of Cumbrae is a smaller vessel than MV Catriona and thus not affected in the same way
Step 2: Analysis of 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
As noted in the introduction, in the winter timetable period, there is one return sailing per day operated between Tarbert LF – Lochranza, with all other sailings operated to and from Portavadie. The tables below summarise the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island. It should be noted that time on mainland and time on island are calculated from published timetables.
| Sailing Details | Mon-Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|
| First departure | 08:00 | 09:00 |
| Last arrival | 19:10 | 19:10 |
| No. of sailings | 8 | 7 |
| Time in Kintyre | 09:20 | 08:15 |
| Time in Cowal | Nil | Nil |
| Sailing Details | Mon-Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|
| First departure | 08:30 | 09:45 |
| Last arrival | 18:40 | 18:40 |
| No. of sailings | 8 | 7 |
| Time in Kintyre | Nil | Nil |
| Time in Cowal | 10:20 | 09:20 |
The key points of note from the above tables are as follows:
- The service operated in the winter timetable is broadly the same across the week, although there is one sailing fewer on a Sunday, with the 08:00 ex Tarbert LF and the 08:30 ex Portavadie not operating
- There is a significant gap in the middle of the operating day. After the 12:10 arrival at Tarbert LF, the next departure to Portavadie is not until 15:15. This is to facilitate the operation of the single return run to Lochranza on Arran
Summer Connections
In the summer timetable period, the Tarbert LF – Portavadie route is operated by a dedicated vessel. The tables below summarise the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island:
| Sailing Details | Mon-Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|
| First departure | 08:00 | 09:00 |
| Last arrival | 19:55 | 19:55 |
| No. of sailings | 12 | 11 |
| Time in Kintyre | 10:05 | 09:05 |
| Time in Cowal | Nil | Nil |
| Sailing Details | Mon-Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|
| First departure | 08:30 | 09:30 |
| Last arrival | 19:25 | 19:25 |
| No. of sailings | 12 | 11 |
| Time in Kintyre | Nil | Nil |
| Time in Cowal | 11:05 | 10:05 |
The summer timetable is very similar in structure to the winter timetable, the only significant difference being that the time allotted to the Lochranza run in winter is reallocated to Portavadie services in summer (providing additional connections) and there is also a slight extension of the operating day.
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:
- Tarbert LF is one of the main settlements on the Kintyre Peninsula and there are a range of bus services which operate through the town, ranging from the long-distance Glasgow to Campbeltown service and local services within Argyll. That said, there is unlikely to be a significant ferry to bus interchange on this route, as its main role is to act as shortcut across Loch Fyne, avoiding the long road route (circa 85 miles) around the sea loch
- The same is not quite true at Portavadie, as the route offers a public transport route to Glasgow via the bus to Dunoon and one of the two ferry crossings to Gourock or McInroy’s Point. There are six return buses per day between Portavadie and Dunoon which connect with several sailings across the day. There is also a local service to Tighnabruaich
The figures below show onward connectivity (drive times) by car from Tarbert LF and Portavadie respectively. 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):
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.
What have been the key supply-side changes since 2014?
In order to understand recent route trends with regards to carryings, capacity utilisation and performance, it is important to record the primary supply-side changes over the last decade or so.
2015
- Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was introduced onto the Tarbert LF - Portavadie route in October 2015. This led to the average passenger and car fares being reduced by 35% and 51% respectively as can be seen in Transport Scotland’s Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff on the Clyde and Hebridean Network.
2017
- The new hybrid vessel, MV Catriona, was introduced to the route in the winter months, but MV Isle of Cumbrae is still in service in the summer months
How have carryings changed over time?
- Passenger carryings on this route grew very strongly following the introduction of RET in October 2015, increasing by 53% between 2014 and 2019. However, passenger numbers have not fully recovered from the pandemic, standing at only 90% of their 2019 level in 2022
- Car carryings also grew very strongly following the introduction of RET and, by 2019, were 63% higher than in 2014. However, car carryings have also not fully recovered their 2019 level, but the recovery was stronger than for passengers, standing at 99% of their 2019 level in 2022
- CV carryings on this route are relatively small in absolute terms and were broadly stable between 2014 and 2019, albeit with some year-on-year fluctuation. However, CV carryings have almost halved post-pandemic, the reason for which is not entirely clear from analysing the data
How has reliability and punctuality changed over time?
- Cancelations and delays demonstrate some year-on-year variability but have been on a broadly upward trend since 2017
- Delays, which were not particularly a feature of the route pre-2017, occurred on circa 6%-7% of all sailings in 2021 and 2022
Why are sailings cancelled?
- The majority of cancellations in most years are classed to be caused by adverse weather
- However, there are also breakdowns due to mechanical problems in most years. This may perhaps reflect the fact that MV Isle of Cumbrae is the oldest vessel in the fleet, built in 1976
- There was a comparatively high number of cancellations in 2021 (approaching 600 in total) of which almost 300 were “Scottish Government approved”, whereby the cancellation has been approved by the Scottish Government under the terms of the contract. This may reflect a temporary reduction in service during the national COVID-19 lockdown in the first four months of that year
- Of the circa 400+ sailings that were cancelled in 2022, around half were specified as being due to an “emergency” – these were almost entirely due to COVID-19 impacts, e.g., crew self-isolation
Why are sailings delayed?
- The majority of delays on this route are caused by a knock-on delay from a previous sailing, suggesting that maintaining the timetable across the full day can at times be challenging, with little scope for recovery from an earlier delay
- Adverse weather is the second most common recorded cause of delay
How many days per year do services operate to timetable?
- There has been some variability over the last decade in terms of the number of days that have operated to timetable (i.e., all sailings on that day arrived on time). For the most recent years – 2021 and 2022 – around seven out of every ten sailing days have operated to timetable. There has been a general downward trend in the number of sailing days operated to timetable
- The Tarbert – Portavadie route is however intensively operated, and a better measure here is the percentage of individual sailings operated to time. This has generally been around 90% (i.e., nine in every ten sailings operated on time) but has reduced slightly in 2021 and 2022 (85% and 86% respectively)
How often has the vehicle deck been full or nearly full?
2014-2022
- Despite operating with a relatively small vessel and with a strong growth in car traffic, vehicle deck capacity is not routinely an issue on this route
- In 2022, when the number of sailings had returned closer to their 2019 level, around 15% of sailings per annum had a vehicle deck utilisation of 75% or above. However, given the frequency of the service, very few sailings demonstrate a high vehicle loading
2022 by month
- As is common across the network, the largest proportion of high utilisation sailings are between June and September, with August being the peak month, likely reflecting visitor demand. However, with 12-13 sailings per day in either direction in the summer timetable period, capacity utilisation is not routinely a problem
Forthcoming Changes
It is understood that this route is part of the CMAL Small Vessels Replacement Programme (SVRP), a large-scale procurement and replacement programme for the existing Loch Class fleet. The timing of new vessels being introduced is unknown at present.