LYING idle less than three miles apart, it is a situation that, perhaps, best epitomises the current problems facing Scotland's beleaguered ferry network.

One is the brand new £45million flagship vessel MV Glen Sannox that was launched last year and is due to serve the country's busiest ferry route.

The other is the 35 year old MV Isle of Arran and still serves that route despite being well past its normal operational age.

But neither are currently carrying passengers across the Firth of Clyde from Ardrossan to Brodick on the isle of Arran as they are currently undergoing vital repair work in Greenock, although the MV Isle of Arran is due to be back in operation today .

Meanwhile, the route is served by the MV Caledonian Isles which has also had engineering works carried last week, with engineers making repairs during passenger-only crossings to ensure that people could get to and from the island on a drastically reduced timetable.

It comes after Scotland's main ferry operator, Caledonian MacBrayne, has been heavily criticised after a summer of disruption across the network due to breakdowns, with the average age of vessel on a lifeline route now 22 years.

Ferry passengers are now facing yet more disruption on CalMac's ageing fleet after the two new prototype vessels, the MV Glen Sannox and its sister ship, which cost £100 million have been delayed yet again.

The dual fuel flagships were supposed to be with the ferry operator this summer and autumn, but are now expected next summer and spring 2020.

But the MV Glen Sannox now sits on the Clyde without funnels as engineers work on its bulbous bow - nearly a year after being launched by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

It comes amid concerns that a 10-fold increase in traffic is already causing severe problems for island communities.

Tourism bosses on the Outer Hebrides have already warned the disruption has cost them millions of pounds already this year.

Stornoway businessman Louis Maciver says he could not sustain his business without reliable ferries.

Mr Maciver, co-owner of Techmobile, a tech company in Stornoway, said 98 percent of his deliveries come by ferry.

He said: "We are totally reliant on them. For us it means we can get the latest games at the same time as they are released online. It gives us a chance to compete."

"To say ferries are vital to our business - and every other business here - is an understatement. We need reliable services.

"The mistake they made was ordering one big ferry to carry both freight and vehicles and passengers (on the Stornoway to Ullapool route). They should have gone for two, smaller and quicker ferries which could have also helped ease the disruption in the event of breakdowns etc."

Ironically the four-year-old MV Loch Seaforth – the biggest and newest large ferry in the CalMac fleet – was not supposed to breakdown because three back-up engines aim to keep the ship going on her regular timetable and speed even if one of her two main engines breaks down.

But that did not prevent a major emergency in the Minch last month when the £42 million ship lost power when a severe fault hit the engines’ cooling systems.

Marion Macleod, a lifecoach and music teacher who lives in Stornoway, warns that she may have to move to the mainland.

She said: "If there was no reliable ferry service I would leave. This summer has been the worst I can remember for disruption. These islands would not exist without ferries - they are our roads. What we need are services we can trust."

So far this year five ships on Clyde and Hebridean services have been out of service.

Islay, Harris and Uist have all hit by disruption, when the Hebridean Isles built in 1985, one of two ferries that normally serve Islay, was withdrawn to work on the Tarbert and Lochmaddy routes.

Newer ships, such as the MV Clansman, which services the outer Hebrides from Oban, were among those out of action.

The knock-on effect of vessels being redeployed proved to be a severe test for the 32 ferries that serve 51 ports on 49 routes.

Between January and the end of July this year, 2,326 out of 79,203 CalMac scheduled sailings were cancelled.

Of these, 327 were for mechanical reasons. Most of the rest were because of bad weather.

Nigel Scott, spokesman for Western Isles Council, said the authority was meeting Scottish Government ministers soon to "take matters forward."

He said: "Obviously we have been expressing concern about the performance over the summer to the Scottish Government."

"There has been undoubtedly disruption to thousands of passengers, businesses and the islands' economy. We rely on the ferries they are literally lifeline services for us.

"We have argued for a two ferry solution on the Stornoway to Ullapool route - and right from the start. CalMac are not providing best value for money. There's a delay in new ferries which is disappointing and the new online booking system has not happened".

"Given the importance to communities and businesses in the islands these are serious issues which are impacting on the local economy and travelling public. It could be a factor in people moving away".

Vice Convener of Highland Council Allan Henderson has also vented his frustration at the delay to the two new ferries being built on the Clyde.

Writing in this month's local West Word newspaper,he said: "We have to give the Scottish Government credit for trying to get ship building going again in Scotland, but the decision to continue building super liners for island to mainland ferries, coupled with diesel/LNG technology instead of more nimble ferries that could shuttle back and fore and relieve at other ports has backfired.”

"Clearly the yard is not up to the task, with £97 million now having been spent and a further £30 million 'invested' to get two vessels fitted out, and that is long after they were due. Just think how many ships CalMac could have had at their disposal if conventionally powered 60 metre versions of the Coruisk ( which sails on the Oban to Craignure route) had been ordered with that money?

"Another problem caused by this delay and extra financing is that the vessel replacement plan has also been set backwards with the contract having to be delivered on ever ageing vessels and absolutely no more vessels in the pipeline.

Last year, CalMac carried five million passengers, 1.5 million cars, 80,000 buses, and one million metres of commercial traffic.

Figures show the number of motorhomes travelling to the Western Isles has risen over the past decade, with nearly 2,000 heading to Harris alone.

The huge rise in tourists follows the introduction of a Scottish Government scheme to make island ferry fares more affordable.

The Road Equivalent Tariff bases fares on the cost of travelling the equivalent distance by road and was introduced to boost remote economies - and worked so well the number of cars on one route is up by more than 80 per cent.

But tourism operators in the Western Isles say they have lost "millions" from ferry disruption throughout the summer.

Outer Hebrides Tourism (OHT) said it saw "no end to the critical issues caused by the continued unreliability of ferries to these islands as we end the season as it began - with disruption."

OHT previously costed ferry disruption to the islands' economy at £6m.

Ian Fordham, Chair of OHT, said: "Whilst the Scottish Government must now invest in CalMac to improve fleet resilience, they should also recompense our local businesses and invest in rebuilding confidence in the Outer Hebrides as a tourist destination after the negative economic impact of this summer's ferry fiasco! This has hit tourism business not just this summer but its future growth too."

OHT said ministers must address CalMac’s ageing fleet and its inability to move beyond the "knife-edge on which it sits" for service reliability.

Among its other complaints were that two new ferries were delayed "with nothing else in a build pipeline."

Mr Fordham added:"We continue to raise this significant risk to the sustainability of our tourism businesses.The Outer Hebrides is a stunning place for tourists to visit and enjoy all year around but we want them to be able to get here and home again without disruption.

"There has been a distinct lack of any visible action this summer from Transport Scotland and successive Scottish Government Ministers - as ministerial responsibility for ferries has changed three times in the past six months alone - to address this despite the local economic impact."

He said four new vessels - in addition to the ones under construction - or three plus a fixed link in the Sound of Harris, are required to provide a satisfactory service and room for the local tourism sector to sustain and flourish.

The First Minister has said she is "determined" to improve ferry services to Scotland's island communities in the wake of widespread concern over reliability.

Nicola Sturgeon said "a range of work" was ongoing to ensure that those living and working on islands "have the services they deserve".

She said: "I am aware, as is the entire government about the pressures on the ferry network, we understand the impact that has on people's lives and businesses in our island communities".

Ferguson Marine shipyard, where the Glen Sannox is berthed, were contacted for comment but did not respond.