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Private company

Argyll Ferries LTD

Logo: Philphos ( talk ) 19:57, 7 December 2011 (UTC), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Scottish ferry company

Argyll Ferries Ltd was a ferry company formed in January 2011 by the Scottish Governments department of Transport Scotland via the parent company David MacBrayne Ltd to tender for the Dunoon-to-Gourock public service route. Argyll Ferries were announced as the preferred bidder at the end of May 2011, contracts were exchanged on 7 June 2011 for the service, the service then commenced 23 days later on 30 June 2011.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

2011Founded1

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Argyll-Ferries-110709
Photo: dave souza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Argyll Ferries Ltd was a ferry company formed in January 2011 by the Scottish Governments department of Transport Scotland via the parent company David MacBrayne Ltd to tender for the Dunoon-to-Gourock public service route. Argyll Ferries were announced as the preferred bidder at the end of May 2011, contracts were exchanged on 7 June 2011 for the service, the service then commenced 23 days later on 30 June 2011.2

The story

Founded by Scottish Government in 2011.1

Products and brands

Argyll Ferries Ltd operates two passenger vessels on the route, MV Ali Cat and MV Argyll Flyer. Both are leased from their owner Caledonian Maritime Assets. Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) had previously run the Ali Cat on a 9-year lease from Isle of Wight Cruises but she was bought outright for the new service. The Argyll Flyer, formerly the ten-year-old Irish ferry, Banríon Chonamara, was purchased specifically for the new service.

When the service began on 30 June 2011, preparation of the Argyll Flyer had been held up by broken rear prop shafts. As an interim measure the cruise boat MV Clyde Clipper was leased from Clyde Cruises to start the service. She suffered breakdowns during the first day, then continued in interim service alongside the other two ferries for a short period.

In the past, ferries operated by Caledonian MacBrayne have provided additional support on the route; notably the MV Saturn during the Cowal Gathering in August 2011 and the MV Coruisk in December 2013.

From Wikipedia’s article on Argyll Ferries, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

  • Scottish Government

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 2011Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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