MV Argyll Flyer approaching Gourock pier. |
|
| Career (UK) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | MV Argyll Flyer |
| Owner: | Argyll Ferries Ltd |
| Operator: | Argyll Ferries Ltd |
| Port of registry: | Glasgow |
| Route: | Dunoon to Gourock |
| Builder: | OCEA, Les Sables-d'Olonne, France |
| Completed: | 2001 |
| Acquired: | June 2011 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 9231016[1] Callsign: 2ERS2 MMSI Number: 235087611 |
| Status: | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 172 |
| Length: | 26m |
| Beam: | 7m |
| Draft: | 2.0m |
| Decks: | 2 |
| Installed power: | Two MTU 12V 2000 M70[2] |
| Speed: | 22 knots max. |
| Capacity: | 244 passengers |
| Crew: | 3 |
MV Argyll Flyer is a passenger ferry in the Argyll Ferries Ltd fleet, which along with MV Ali Cat provides a service from Dunoon to Gourock across the Firth of Clyde in Scotland.
She was constructed by OCEA, Les Sables-d'Olonne, France in 2001 for Aran Island Ferries, and under the name Banríon Chonamara (Queen of Connemara) provided a service to the Aran Islands in Ireland. In May 2011 the David MacBrayne Ltd subsidiary Argyll Ferries Ltd was announced as the preferred bidder for the tender for the Dunoon–Gourock service; they bought the ferry which was renamed Argyll Flyer for the new service commencing 30 June 2011. On 15 June she arrived at the Ardmaleish boatyard on the Isle of Bute for survey work.[3]
Argyll Flyer is a monohull boat of aluminium construction. She has capacity for 244 passengers on two decks with onboard facilities including a snack bar, wheelchair lift and accessible toilets. There is no booking office at Gourock Ferry Terminal now and you 'Pay Onboard', with a return ticket costing £6.60 , you can either go ashore at Dunoon Linkspan or stay onboard for the return leg. Her entry into service was delayed by some 3 weeks by an ongoing computer glitch , being a highly technical vessel. Once this new-look ferry service 'beds-down' , people from Dunoon in Argyll would be able to enjoy a night out in Glasgow without having to worry about overnight accommodation in the city , as they will be able to get a train back to Gourock and sail back home around midnight , due to the new extensive timetable , which the car ferry never had , almost stopping the service around 9pm. Note, to date (20 November 2011), the Argyll Flyer has yet to complete a full week's schedule without a breakdown or cancellation for weather. Highly unsatisfactory and unreliable service.