Ferry Fiasco (Scotland)

The then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Jim McColl at the Ferguson Marine shipyard on 31 August 2015

The Ferry Fiasco refers to the construction, marred by delays and increasing costs, of two ferries; MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa; in Scotland. The ferries are being built by Ferguson Marine, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMA), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government. Originally intended to come into service in 2018 and 2019 respectively, both ferries have been delayed by over five years, and costs have more than quadrupled to £450 million.[1][2]

The contract required the ships to have dual fuel engines, to use both marine gas oil diesel fuel, and liquefied natural gas which was already in use for ferries in northern Europe, such as the Samsø ferry, to meet tightened emissions regulation.[3][4] Ferguson Marine director Jim McColl later said the ferries were UK "prototypes", and that delays had been incurred in getting certification for Ferguson's design from Lloyd's Register and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.[5]

The main contractor, Ferguson Marine, was nationalised by the Scottish Government in December 2019 with debts of £70 million.[6][7] It is now classified as an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.[8]

Caledonian MacBrayne ("CalMac") operate mainly in the Clyde and Hebrides regions of the west coast of Scotland, and serve a local population of around 45,000 people.[9] There are no other large scale ferry operators in the area. Many of its routes are considered "lifeline services" which run to 22 of the 'major' west-coast islands. On average its 34 vessels complete 466 crossings a day.[9]

Delays and cancellations in recent years have been blamed by CalMac on ageing ferries, with the average age of their vessels being 24 years. Of the 10 largest ferries, four are over 30 years old, which is beyond their expected operational life; Isle of Arran is 40 years old.[10] Research shows the replacement of ferries fell from one every 14 months from 1993 to 2007 (with 33,350 tonnes launched), to one every 36.1 months from 2007 to 2021 (with 16,188 tonnes launched).[11]

  1. ^ https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-ferry-shambles-long-delayed-33596929.amp
  2. ^ "Further delay and up to £24m in 'understated' costs to late CalMac ferries". STV News. 29 September 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Ferry deal set to create new jobs". CMAL Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  5. ^ Black, Andrew (29 August 2018). "Shipyard owner frustrated at ferry delay". BBC News. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Ferguson's went bust with debts of more than £70 million - with £50m owed to taxpayers". Greenock Telegraph. 27 September 2019.
  7. ^ "SNP ministers nationalise Clyde shipyard". The Herald. 16 August 2016.
  8. ^ "National public bodies directory - Executive non-departmental public bodies". Scottish Government. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b "IN DEPTH Scotland's ongoing ferry fiasco: what you need to know". The Week. 13 May 2022.
  10. ^ "The problem with CalMac's ageing ferries". BBC News. 13 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Ferry figures show the Scottish government is sailing in troubled water". The Times. 14 April 2021.