Members of the Save Ardrossan Harbour campaign group viewed the event with sadness.
A spokesperson said: “It is difficult to be excited for a ship sailing that could potentially sound the death knell for Ardrossan.”
With the new ferry unable to safely dock at Ardrossan until a long-delayed upgrade to the town’s harbour, Glen Sannox and sister ship Glen Rosa will have to sail from South Ayrshire for the foreseeable future.
That means longer journeys for Arran residents and visitors – and potential economic devastation for Ardrossan.
The spokesperson for the committee continued: “This is a testament to bad planning, lack of commitment to the town of Ardrossan and an inability to own up to past mistakes.
“We at Save Ardrossan Harbour are hugely disappointed by the turn of events that have led to this moment, where Ardrossan Harbour, after nearly 200 years, sits empty and unused.
“Every elected official from the First Minister to the seven transport secretaries have all publicly spoken of their preference and support for Ardrossan to remain the harbour. However, this has been followed up with nothing, only silence.”
They added: “Businesses in the local area will suffer as a result of the government’s incompetence on this issue. Businesses in Ardrossan and Brodick have suffered already as the service at Ardrossan has been greatly reduced over the last 18 months.
(Image: Save Ardrossan Harbour) “Save Ardrossan Harbour will continue to call for clarity and community engagement from the Scottish Government, which is sadly lacking. The supposed business case is something often discussed but never with any purpose.
“As Kevin Hobbs, CMAL’s chief executive, stated the process is in ‘the middle of nowhere’. We could not agree more.
“The current redevelopment plans of Ardrossan harbour include a lot of unnecessary work that no one is looking for. Keep the costs simple and simply make the changes needed to allow the Glen Sannox to berth and to berth reliably.
“The community are happy with the current facilities and transport links. An upgrade to those can come later.
“We call on the Scottish Government and all relevant stakeholders to listen to the communities affected and help us Save Ardrossan Harbour.”