But in recent years, its network has been plagued with cancellations and disruptions. And in March, a 105m contract to build two new CalMac ferries to serve Islay was awarded to a Turkish company, Cemre Marin Endustri. TWO ferries at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco will not come into service till 2024, it has emerged. It centres on a botched procurement process. At standard industry prices, that should have been enough to replace much of CalMacs fleet. [34], Just before a Parliamentary debate on the contract, Jenny Gilruth, Scotland's junior transport minister, produced an email to show that the contract was ultimately approved by Derek Mackay, a previous junior transport minister. Exclusive: New figures revealed by the Scottish Conservatives highlighted that the number of school pupils missing half their education had rose by 34 per cent in two years. A year later, the Ferguson yard received a major boost when it won a 97m contract from the SNP government to build the two new ships CalMac needed (and still needs) to replace two ageing ferries: the first to serve the Isle of Arran route, the second, the Uig triangle of Skye, North Uist and Harris. He labels these intentions as "looking for a sensational angle." Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) have an effective monopoly over ferry services to Scotland's numerous islands, which are homes to approximately 45,000 people. Angus MacNeil and Deidre Brock both used Croatia as an example of an EU member state that is outside the eurozone, despite the fact the country will join on January 1, 2023, Man charged over double death mystery in Edinburgh tower block, Two men aged 37 and 66 were found dead in the capital's Niddrie district on Tuesday. [24][25] Both ships are also unlikely to operate their designated routes because the 130 million project to convert existing infrastructure in the ports to handle the new ferries remains incomplete. But the former, now namedGlen Sannox, wont be finished until at least spring 2023 at the earliest; Hull 802 has only just had its bow fitted. A great deal. [22], The first vessel, Hull 801 now named Glen Sannox is expected to be delivered between March and May 2023, five years behind schedule. Instead a tourist season's ruined in the former and the threat of closure looms over the latter. CMAL and CalMac eventually agreed to relax some specifications in order to go with the smaller engines - but it led to delays in detailed design work. Ferguson shipyard did not make the shortlist. Out of the six shipyards that tendered to build the ferries, Ferguson Marine put forward the most expensive bid, at 37 million more than the cheapest. In fact the bids were only anonymised for a small section of the evaluation involving an independent technical expert and a review by CalMac. Ten things we learned about Scotland's ferry fiasco 27 September PA Media The "Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow" sculpture with Glen Sannox in the background The decision to build two CalMac. A NEW fault with one of the ferries at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco could see it lose its green credentials. A BBC Disclosure documentary has shed new light on the saga. [26], The fiasco has been subject to a number of inquiries. CalMac was unhappy with CMAL's initial draft of the specification to be sent to shortlisted bidders. READ MORE: SNP MP Angus MacNeil puts 'party loyalty' above island residents as he stays silent on CalMac. The "Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow" sculpture with Glen Sannox in the background, Jim McColl confirmed that he looked into buying Ferguson before it went bust, Evidence that a builders refund guarantee could be provided was a mandatory requirement before being allowed to bid, Ferguson was allowed to resubmit drawings for a much lighter ship, Tim Hair was paid nearly 1.3m during his time as turnaround director, 1: Jim McColl was already looking at buying the yard before it went into administration, 2: CalMac's specification was based on a ship designed for a Swedish route, 3: Ferguson was allowed onto the shortlist despite not meeting a mandatory requirement, 4: Assessors knew whose bids they were scoring, 5: A key document gave Ferguson an advantage, 6: CalMac's experts thought a rival bid was better, 7: Ferguson's design changed significantly after the submission deadline, 8: Ferguson's initial price was 37m higher than the cheapest bid, 9: CMAL and CalMac were often at loggerheads over the design, 10: Workers had no confidence in 'turnaround director' Tim Hair, Jeremy Bowen on reporting from Ukraine's frontline. This change allowed it to reduce its price by nearly 10 million. The current set-up of one ferry serving a triangle of routes (Uig-Tarbert-Lochmaddy) dates back to the 1960s when traffic was at a fraction of recent levels. Ferguson's initial design submission was based on Model 20 but on 17 May, CMAL's assessors asked Ferguson to give it more details of Model 10 - then scored it on this revised design. Jim McColl claimed the contract was rushed through to coincide with the SNP conference in 2015 and the subsequent nationalisation of the yard was also rushed for political purposes. A new secrecy storm has broken out surrounding the Scottish Government's handling of the ferry fiasco and in particular the bombshell BBC Scotland documentary about the situation. [6], The Scottish Government announced they were signing the contract with Ferguson Marine on the first day of the Scottish National Party Conference in October 2015. But despite the concerns of Caledonian Marine Assets Ltd (CMAL) the public corporation that owns CalMac Scottish ministers signed it off anyway. He was replaced earlier this year, by which time he had been paid almost 1.3m for 454 days work. Ministers now own the yard. The ferry fiasco is an ongoing Scottish political scandal relating to the construction of two ferries (Hull 801 and Hull 802) by the Ferguson Marine Ltd, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of a public infrastructure authority, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government, headed at the time by First Minister Nicola . And attempts to update them have embroiled the Scottish government in a major scandal. By Lucia Osborne-Crowley. Eight years later, just two ferries are set to cost taxpayers 240m, and will be delivered five years later than first envisaged. [31] [32] Former SNP Deputy Leader Jim Sillars accused the Scottish Government of criminal "misconduct in public office" and lodged a complaint to Police Scotland requesting they investigate the missing documents. It's consequences felt not just on the island communities served by them, but in the industrial communities that should be benefitting from constructing them. [2] 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). The Scottish Conservative leader revealed that redacted sections of a document could be read through the use of copy and paste, announcing the details in front of MSPs at First Minister's Questions. ", "Leaked dossier suggests Scottish ferry deal may have been rigged", "Presentation to the Arran Ferry Committee 10 April 2017", "N Pictures Launch Of Ferry Glen Sannox At Port Glasgow", "Scotland's Ferry Fiasco: What went wrong? The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Research by the Lib Dems has found that 7431 ferry sailings were cancelled in Scotland's Western Isles between January and July 2022. Want to join the conversation? Businessman Jim McColl confirmed to BBC Disclosure that he looked at the business at least two months before it went bust. The BBC understands Ferguson obtained it from design consultants who had also worked on preparing the original tender documents for CMAL. Both the Glen Sannox and Hull 802 are millions of pounds over budget and more than five years late due to problems with the Port Glasgow yard, which included the business going into administration. Every player in this fiasco is now Scottish government-owned and controlled. When this was queried, it said it was having discussions with the Scottish government regarding "bonding for ship contracts in general" and that the issue will "hopefully be sorted". [18] Once a high profile supporter of the SNP and Scottish independence, McColl has said he does not support independence any longer. Read about our approach to external linking. Nicola Sturgeon hit back to say it was to save 400 jobs, and was then called a liar by McColl as the number of people employed at the yard was closer to 150. [21] In August 2022, police were called to deal with ferry customers who became aggressive at separate incidents in Mallaig and Ardrossan after ferries broke down affecting services. The simulations had prompted concerns this design would struggle to meet the demanding deadweight - or cargo carrying - requirements, so instead a bigger ship known as Model 20 was developed. Its Transport Scotland and CMAL agencies respectively fund and procure new vessels. [12] By the end of September 2022, only 26% of cables had been replaced. Usually, cost overruns would be covered by the manufacturer: one of the main requirements for the CalMac contract was a builders refund guarantee, giving full protection for the buyer. The technology has been used elsewhere in the world, but the Ferguson shipyard ran into trouble. It will be operating on a diesel, single fuel system for at least the first nine months of its service. Scottish Conservatives transport spokesman Graham Simpson called for a public inquiry into the fiasco. CMAL warned; "The current rate at which cable is pulled presents a serious threat to the project". SNP urged to act after numbers of pupils missing school sky-rockets in Scotland. At the start of June the assessors invited Ferguson's managing director and chief naval architect to a "strictly confidential" face-to-face meeting at the shipyard to discuss "clarifications and perceived inconsistencies" in their submission. Nicola Sturgeon warned her ministers should resign if there is further chaos over botched ferries. In a damning report MSPs call for "root and branch" reform of the system for procuring ships for Scotland's publicly-owned ferry network. Ferguson was also allowed to significantly change its design halfway through the tender by developing a variant mentioned but discounted in its original submission. John Sturrock QC: CalMac ferries fiasco - what mediation could have achieved. Ostergard requested, and was granted, a letter from Scottish Ministers absolving his organisation of blame should the deal go bad. The SNP ferries fiasco has taken another nasty turn - The Spectator. The Ferguson shipyard had been struggling for a decade as it was undercut by overseas shipbuilders, particularly in Eastern Europe. CMAL has previously said that during the tender process Ferguson made "no comment" on a section of the draft contract relating to guarantees - and it took this as "tacit acceptance" of the condition. The Scottish Liberal Democrats made the call along with several other demands as the First Minister is set to face MSPs probing the controversial Ferguson Marine ferry deal on Friday.. MSPs on Holyrood's Public Audit Committee say they are keen to "get to the bottom of what . The ferry fiasco is an ongoing Scottish political scandal relating to the construction of two ferries (Hull 801 and Hull 802) by the Ferguson Marine Ltd, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of a public infrastructure authority, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government, headed at the time by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party. Audit Scotland said on Wednesday evening that they were still concerned that there was not sufficient documentary evidence around why ministers accepted the risks associated with the changed contract. [23] Its unnamed sister ship, Hull 802, was expected to be delivered between October and December 2023, however further delays meant that as of September 2022, the ship is not expected to be delivered until the first quarter of 2024. [1] Delays and cancellations in recent years have been blamed by CalMac on aging ferries. Island communities have been left to go whistle, amid an absence of accountability. CMAL also held an in-person meeting with Ferguson, which was not extended to other bidders. The document added: The impact of a successful legal challenge could be high in the worst case the contract could be declared ineffective and a challenge could be brought at any time as the contract terms are not being made public. And he also claimed that former Transport Minister Graeme Dey resigned after a clash with Finance Secretary Kate Forbes over funding to fix the issues. [4], At the time that contract was awarded there were concerns that Ferguson Marine had not built any ferries of this size in the recent past. In addition to major delays and cost overruns, the main contractor Ferguson Marine was nationalised. One of two Caledonian Macbrayne ferries being built in the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, The MV Glen Sannox setting to leave Ferguson Marine. On this basis CMAL's finance director approved Fergusons' progression to the shortlist. The First Minister said that Mr Swinneys involvement in the sign-off centred on him being briefed on the decision to award the contract to Ferguson Marine, not as a final rubber stamp. Concerns were also raised about the rationale of erecting the funnels and masts on the first ship when vital equipment for these structures was not yet fitted. The vessels are already 150 million over budget and 5 years late. A POLISH shipyard is considering a multi-million court challenge over claims a Scottish Government ferries contract was rigged. Campaign Pack: Scottish Ferry Fiasco. During a Holyrood inquiry two years ago, CMAL officials said they saw nothing problematic about the same company being used for both roles. The only way to get to the bottom of this scandal is for Ministers to agree to a full public inquiry.. Ferguson, in turn, accuses CMAL of interfering in its work, and moving the goalposts on specifications. Transport Scotland also told CMAL's PR agency Clark Communications to "hold off" accepting requests to interview Mr Hobbs due to internal discussions at our end about the way forward. In this case though, the ship yard, Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited, wasnt able to give such a guarantee. It initially filled in the PQQ questionnaire saying only that it would "endeavour to comply with your request". He confirmed that the contract should proceed. National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Emails apparently seen by the Scotsman show that CMAL, CalMac and Transport Scotland all worked together to minimise scrutiny of the issues raised by the documentary. Just a day before Transport Minister Keith Brown publicly announced the start of the procurement in October 2014, CalMac complained that CMAL's document only met 20% of its requirements. [9], Steel was cut on the on 7 April 2016 and the MV Glen Sannox was launched in November 2017 by first minister Nicola Sturgeon[10] and supposed to be in service by mid-2018. Nationalised Ferguson Marine has confirmed . The scoring formula allocated points based on the difference between a shipyard's price and that of the cheapest, so Ferguson would have scored very poorly. Scottish rowan tree that is 'a portal to another world' narrowly pipped to title of best in Britain, The Portal Tree in the grounds of 18th century Mavisbank House in Midlothian finished in second place in the public vote to the Waverley Abbey Yew in Surrey. Mackay says he has been scapegoated, and wants to set the record straight. A FAILURE to build sensors into one of the ferries at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco means that it remained unsafe to operate, it has emerged. Legal action warning over 'rigged' CalMac ferries fiasco A Polish shipbuilding firm which lost out on a 97 million Scottish Government ferry contract has said its legal team is considering. Scottish Labours transport spokesperson, Neil Bibby, added: The Scottish Government has created a culture where silence and the withholding of information has become the norm. [17], The political disagreements between the parties involved are still ongoing. One critical aspect is the breakdown of relationships between two of the main protagonists, CMAL, the Scottish government-owned ferry purchasers, and FMEL . When Audit Scotland last week released a report shining a light on the SNP's costly ferries fiasco, all the talk was of painted on windows and a comical 'launch' event for an . Another requirement was that the ferries would need larger bow thrusters and a stern thruster to make them more manoeuvrable in dock. These guarantees would make the shipbuilder responsible for any cost overruns. All you need to know about everything that matters. The cost so far is 240m, two-and-a-half times the original budget. Scottish Tory transport spokesperson Graham Simpson said: "This may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the dodgy dealings over these ferries, but its still disgraceful to see publicly-owned bodies closing ranks to avoid scrutiny in this way. But when asked about this, all three bodies refused to offer up anyone for interview and also contacted each other to make sure they were on the same page. John Swinney stated that no decision would be made to release more public money towards the cost of completing the ferries until "due diligence" was carried out by the Scottish Government on the company, supported by external, independent financial advisors. The ferry fiasco is an ongoing Scottish political scandal relating to the construction of two ferries (Hull 801 and Hull 802) by the Ferguson Marine Ltd, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of a public infrastructure authority, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government, headed at the time by First Minister Nicola . But opposition parties have called for an inquiry into the scandal due to the millions of pounds and time wasted due to Ferguson Marine winning the contract. BBC Disclosure learned that matters came to head in November when the workforce representatives told the board of directors they had lost confidence in the senior management team. The document states that the absence of a full refund guarantee the central criticism of the contract by Audit Scotland could represent a considerable departure from the original terms of the contract. [7], In September 2022, the BBC obtained documents indicating that Ferguson Marine received preferential treatment in the procurement process. Please register or log in to comment on this article. Ferries are a major issue in the west of Scotland. r/Scotland I welcome the news that the Scottish #BabyBox has been refreshed with redesigned clothes and a baby toothbrush. In the meantime, CalMac has been scouring the world for second-hand ferries. Three months before launch the bulbous bow as rejected by an inspector from Lloyd's Register, and would need to be "renewed in entirety". [29], A report by Audit Scotland in March 2022 found the total cost to have risen to 240 million. Dossier suggests ferry deal may have been rigged, The workers who saw Scotland's ferries saga unfold, Waypoints by Outlander star Sam Heughan reaches top 10 in New York Times bestseller list, Bonfire Night 2022: Where to watch firework displays in Clydebank, Glasgow Sheriff Court: Christina Goldie acquitted on assault charge, Newton Mearns: John and Louise Scullion celebrate golden wedding anniversary, Zelensky accuses Russia of 'energy terrorism', Jeremy Bowen on reporting from Ukraine's frontline. It looks as though CMAL, CalMac and Transport Scotland may have deliberately co-ordinated with one another to dodge questions from investigative journalists at the BBC. In the summer of 2014, the last shipyard on the lower Clyde, Ferguson Shipbuilders, went bust. Read about our approach to external linking. He refused to be interviewed on camera and refused to answer any questions when doorstepped by the BBC. Nats boast 'Croatia is not in euro' just eight weeks before it joins! Emails seen by the BBC show that CMAL's assessors clearly knew the identity of the shipyards they were scoring. However, Scotland's Auditor General has been asked to investigate. The 45,000 or so inhabitants of the Hebrides depend on ferry links to deliver essential supplies; to take people back and forth to jobs and medical appointments on the mainland; and to bring in tourists, their economic lifeblood. The Chairman of the Arran Ferry Action Group said: It really cant be overstated how many and varied the impacts are. The average age for each ferry is 24 years old, of the 10 largest ferries, four are over 30 years old, which is beyond their expected operational life and the MV Isle of Arran 38 years old. Audit Scotland yet to begin investigation into ferry fiasco despite BBC Scotland allegations "The Ferguson Marine scandal has already cost the public up to 300m and we are still months away from either ferry setting sail. One of the SNP's 'climate-friendly' ferries will now run on diesel for at least the first nine months of its service The ferry fiasco has been a disgrace from start to finish. The Scottish government gave the go-ahead for the procurement of two new large CalMac ferries in the summer of 2014, with the original plan to name the preferred bidder by end of March 2015. The ongoing fiasco with CalMac ferry services is the result of years of mismanagement from the SNP. There were 15 milestone payments which would culminate in the final payment of 97 million and the delivery of the ferries. While 1.3m was added to the Ferguson bid, a shipyard in Turkey had 4.5m added to its price. The finances of Ferguson Marine were so tight that they told the Scottish Government they could not provide the financial guarantees that were stipulated in the contract. A key section of Ferguson's bid was largely copied from this longer document. SCOTS ministers are coming under pressure to give a contract to build two new Scots ferries to its own shipyard which is at the centre of the nation's vessel-building fiasco. Ferry campaigners and councillors blame CalMac and the Scottish government, which ultimately owns the ferry service, for decades of underfunding and complacency about the impact these. The SNP's constitution secretary is currently in Spain on a two-day junket while his government have cut budgets for a number of services. CalMac later complained that the wider ship designs required bigger engines, potentially adding 1m to its annual fuel costs. [15] Letting the yard go and losing two ferries was "not an option considered" by the Scottish Government. The retro games consoles that could net you a packet on online: does your old favourite make the list? Theres still no confirmed launch date for the two new ferries and, as recently as January, there were still 175 outstanding technical, safety or quality concerns over them to be resolved. Mackay had left the government in 2020 having been exposed by a tabloid for grooming a schoolboy. As well as assessing shipyards' capabilities, it set out the requirement - written in red capital letters - for evidence confirming the yard could provide a Builder's Refund Guarantee, which protects any advance payments issued by the buyer. Many commentators argue that the island communities would anyway be better served by a larger number of smaller, cheaper, more efficient vessels, such as the catamarans used for years by the unsubsidised privately-run Pentland Ferries for their service to and from Orkney Islands (CalMac receives a subsidy of 120m-150m in a normal year). The report suggested introducing a possible Ferries Commissioner, but added this could cause further confusion with another stakeholder in an already crowded sector. Scottish islanders consider running own ferry service . No other shipyard was offered a similar in-person meeting. Since the SNP took power in 2007, the rate at which new vessels are produced has more than halved. Now, it looks as though Hull 802 may not even be used for the original route it was promised to serve, as CalMac . [28] The parliaments Audit Committee is currently undertaking an inquiry, and the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee will start an inquiry following a public petition. The Highlands and Islands MSP said the ferries fiasco was a "Scottish disgrace". The American author shared a passage from her new book which she is currently in the midst of penning. The unfinished Glen Sannox ferry seen at Ferguson Marine shipyard on 1 April in Port Glasgow, Scotland. However, when it was asked to submit a lighter Model 10-based design, it also dropped its price to about 101m, giving it crucial extra points. [36][37] Keith Brown the then Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, signed the contract on behalf of the Scottish Government, but he also denied responsibility claiming to sign in lieu of Mackay who was on holiday at the time. Ferguson had a big advantage because it had access to the original SOTR. In the rush, some errors slipped though, such as references to "passenger cabins" which were not relevant to CalMac ships. [8], The Ferries would be a new design, and use both marine diesel and liquified natural gas, which would allow the ferries to have lower emissions and allow operators flexibility over fuel sourcing and fuel costs. CMAL has said that, to the best of its knowledge, it did not supply the SOTR to Ferguson. A leaked email from early July reveals that the head of vessels at its procurement agency CMAL believed such a timetable would be "hugely challenging". Catastrophes are piling up one after the other for SNP government Ministers who are now facing a 5 million claim in a dispute over a secret deal that paved the way to the nationalisation of the Clyde shipyard at the centre of Scotland's ferry building fiasco.

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