Port Ellen closure from Tuesday 2 June

While Port Ellen is closed, ferry services will operate to and from Port Askaig from Kennacraig as normal. View the amended timetable for services between Port Askaig and Kennacraig.

Port Askaig is expected to be much busier than normal, please don’t arrive more than 30 minutes before check-in closing time as space will be limited and you may be asked to leave the site and come back at your allotted boarding time.

If you already had a reservation for travel to/from Port Ellen for this timetable period, we have contacted all customers to let you know that your sailing will be to/from Port Askaig instead.

If you are yet to make a reservation for travel to/from Port Askaig - our booking system and website have been updated with  an amended timetable with sailings to/from Port Askaig only. 

A customer support vehicle will be situated before the Port Ellen Harbour entrance to support customers with new bookings/ticket sales, amendments and enquiries. The vehicle will be available at Port Ellen on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 09:00 - 14:00. Card payments only will be accepted.

Port Askaig is around 20.8 miles from Port Ellen. Please do consider your journey options for arrival in Port Askaig, if you’re planning onward travel to Port Ellen. There is no shuttle bus running between ports. To plan onward travel in Islay – visit travelinescotland.com - the national public transport information service.

For customers who were originally booked to arrive into or leave from Port Ellen only and have had their booking amended to Port Askaig, please complete a passenger rights form if you have incurred on island public transport or taxi costs as a result of the change to your booking.

Port Askaig is around 20.8 miles from Port Ellen. Please remember to factor this original journey time into your travel plans for departure and arrival from / to Port Askaig.

To plan onward travel in Islay visit travelinescotland.com, the national public transport information service.

If you’ve not yet visited Islay – we so hope you enjoy your trip.

Islay is served by two ports which Caledonian MacBrayne operate to. One of those ports, Port Ellen will close temporarily for upgrades, so all our services will operate to/from Port Askaig.

Port Askaig is 20.8 miles away from Port Ellen, so if you had planned to sail to/from Port Ellen, please do factor that into your journey.

For foot passengers, use the onward travel section above to support your travel connection plans.

If you need more information and support, please contact Port Askaig or our Customer Engagement Centre on 0800 066 5000 or (+44 1475 650 397 for International customers).

From Tuesday 2 June, Port Ellen on Islay will close for upgrades and is expected to reopen in 2029.

The £107m project is being delivered by CMAL and will see harbour the facility modernised.

The redevelopment includes:

•  land reclamation to create marshalling and laydown areas for cars and commercial vehicles, a new dedicated ferry berth will be constructed to accommodate the current fleet and two new Ro-Pax vessels.
• marine requirements such as fendering, dredging, and bollards will be integrated into the new berth. The project also provides a new linkspan, a fixed ramp, and a larger ferry terminal building.
• harbour improvements feature a longer fishing berth and a commercial quay roughly four times longer than the existing structure. Segregated offloading areas will be established to improve operational safety and flexibility within the port.

Visit https://www.cmassets.co.uk/projects/port-ellen-terminal-development/ for more about the project.