Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of government-owned ferries and harbours body CMAL, told MSPs that talks with the port’s private owner Peel Ports about funding were still “in the middle of nowhere”.
But he said he expected Scotland’s Transport Secretary to make an announcement on the Ardrossan project in the coming months.
The harbour faces an uncertain future because two new ferries due to be deployed on CalMac’s Arran route are too big to berth safely there.
MV Glen Sannox, which enters service on Monday, will initially sail from Troon but will be restricted to three daily return crossings because of the extra journey time.
CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs, left, and director of vessels Jim Anderson (Image: Newsquest) Ardrossan will then be left with no ferry sailings at all for two months until the old Arran vessel, MV Caledonian Isles, returns from repairs in March.
The Ardrossan Harbour Project was given the go-ahead in 2018 by then-Transport Minister Humza Yousaf who promised the town would remain the main port to Arran.
But Transport Scotland paused the project in 2023 following concerns about rising costs, and called for a new business case to be made.
MV Glen Sannox (Image: Jane Barlow) Mr Hobbs told Holyrood’s net zero, energy and transport committee the situation with Ardrossan was “frustrating”, but that it remained out of CMAL’s control.
He said no progress could be made until there was agreement on funding from three partners – Peel Ports, Transport Scotland and North Ayrshire Council.
Asked where those negotiations stood at present, he said: “In the middle of nowhere, I think, at the moment.
“Let’s just say those amounts of money are ebbing and flowing between the three parties, which makes it very tricky.
“It is owned by Peel Ports and it is the one privately owned port in the lifeline ferry service.
“We can’t force Peel Ports to sell a port. It is frustrating for you, it is frustrating for us and the communities.”
Ardrossan Harbour (Image: Save Ardrossan Harbour) Glen Sannox and its sister ship Glen Rosa, which is on target for delivery in the autumn, will also have to rely on road tankers for their liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuelling because no dedicated facilities have been constructed.
CMAL awarded a contract to build the LNG storage and fast refuelling station to a Danish company in 2020 – but Mr Hobbs said construction could not begin until a firm decision was taken on where the new ferries would be based.
He added: “The way they are constructed, you can’t move them. It is not as simple as saying ‘install it at Troon then move it to Ardrossan later’.
“We are in a bit of a catch-22 situation. If Ardrossan was our port, we would be putting the permanent solution in there now.”
CalMac said yesterday that operating out of Troon would inevitably result in fewer daily sailings because of the longer journey but that it would continue to work with partners to secure Ardrossan’s redevelopment.
A spokesperson for Peel Ports said the uncertainty was “devastating” for the people and businesses of Arran and Ardrossan.
They added: “Peel Ports remains fully committed to the original port redevelopment programme and is ready to begin the public procurement process once the ministerial taskforce approves the revised business case.”
Transport Scotland said a revised business case was almost complete but it needed to be supported by financial contributions from each of the main partners.
A spokesperson said: “It is vital that these packages and legal agreements are clearly defined, affordable and ensure value for the public purse.”