THE crew of Caledonian MacBrayne's Arran ferry rushed to the rescue after a passenger fell into the Firth of Clyde.

MV Isle of Arran was approaching Ardrossan when the incident happened on the evening of Monday, June 10.

The ferry's rescue craft was quickly launched and the passenger was recovered to safety before being transferred to the care of the emergency services who were waiting at Ardrossan harbour.

An investigation into the incident will be held.

CalMac bosses have praised the actions of the crew members who rescued the passenger.

Craig Ramsay, fleet management director at CalMac Ferries Ltd, said: “As the vessel MV Isle of Arran approached Ardrossan on the evening of Monday June 10, a passenger entered the water.

"They were quickly recovered using the vessel’s rescue craft, following the emergency procedures regularly exercised by the crew.

“An investigation into the circumstances will follow, in line with our protocol in this situation.

"I would like to thank CalMac colleagues and the emergency services for their fast response.”

As a result of the evening incident, the ferry made a slightly late departure from Ardrossan on Tuesday morning, with the 7am sailing delayed by half an hour to allow the crew more recovery time.

The vessel was continuing to run around half an hour behind schedule as this story was published.