TALKS over the future of Kilcreggan's ferry link with Gourock have been held at the Scottish Parliament – as regular users come to terms with yet another spell of disruption on the route.

Constituency MSP Jackie Baillie hosted talks at Holyrood last week with transport minister Humza Yousaf and Nick Davies, the chair of Cove and Kilcreggan community council.

The meeting took place the day after the ferry which serves the route – MV Island Princess – was withdrawn from service due to what operators Clydelink described as “a technical issue”.

But according to Ms Baillie the latest disruption – which lasted for a full week until Wednesday – came at the insistence of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency after its officials discovered that some pages were missing from a vital document on safety procedures.

The latest disruption to the service follows a seven-day suspension in June after an MCA inspection found several serious defects with the vessel, including issues with lifejackets, a fire pump and fire extinguishers and a crew member with inadequate spoken English and no evidence of basic safety training.

Since then, further suspensions have left ferry users and community representatives up in arms about the reliability of the service.

On July 17 the ferry was suspended for ten days due to engine damage caused by debris in the Firth of Clyde; a replacement engine failed an MCA inspection, and replacement parts took ten days to be supplied and fitted.

According to Ms Baillie, on August 2 the service was suspended for two days because the skipper was not available and Clydelink failed to secure a replacement.

Two more services were cancelled on August 18 because the MCA was not satisfied that the skipper had the authorisation needed to be in control of the vessel; a replacement skipper had to besummoned from annual leave to take over.

And on September 2 the ferry's capacity was reduced to a maximum of 12 passengers because of staff illness and the lack of a suitably-qualified skipper.

Following last Thursday's talks Ms Baillie said it was time for the Scottish Government to “get a move on” with taking over responsibility for the service from Strathclyde Passenger Transport, as it promised to do in 2016.

Ms Baillie said: “This was a welcome opportunity to highlight the very real impact on local passengers and ensure that the Transport Minister has a proper understanding of the chaotic mismanagement of the Kilcreggan ferry service under Clydelink.

“The disruption that local passengers have experienced over the last few days is completely unacceptable. However the whole summer has been dominated by suspensions and cancellations due to failed safety inspections and staff shortages. Not a single month has gone by without an incident thanks to Clydelink’s incompetence.

“The Scottish Government must honour its promise to take the ferry out of SPT’s hands and assume responsibility for the lifeline service. The Transport Minister needs to act quickly to ensure that the transfer is underway before June next year so that SPT does not extend the current contract and local passengers will not have to endure Clydelink for any longer.”

Mr Davies said: ““I am grateful to Jackie Baillie MSP and the Minister for the opportunity to raise the local community’s concerns directly with the Scottish Government.

“I have submitted a formal complaint to SPT regarding the latest disruption to the service and I will be encouraging members of the local community to make individual complaints to ramp up the pressure on SPT and Clydelink.”

West of Scotland MSP and former Lomond North councillor Maurice Corry echoed Ms Baillie's call for the Scottish Government to intervene.

He said: “The latest cancellation of the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry is the latest in a long line of problems that have been caused by the operators of the ferry.

“It is not acceptable for a vital route like this to be out of action for days at a time causing untold amounts of delays for local residents getting to and from work.

“It is time SPT took the appropriate action and cancelled Clydelink’s contract for the ferry.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of several recent periods of significant disruption to the Gourock-Kilcreggan ferry service, and understand the frustrations of the passengers that rely on this link.

“Clearly this situation is not acceptable and the Minister will be writing to SPT to address these issues and their impact on future service levels.”

The Advertiser contacted Clydelink but had not received a response to our request for a comment before this issue went to press.