Ministers don’t expect Ferguson Marine to win the competition to build seven new CalMac electric ferries, but believe their planned £14 million investment in the shipyard will give it a good chance of securing the order for a further three vessels, The Scotsman has learned. The Scottish Government-owned yard’s workforce had hoped it would be directly awarded the first of the “small vessels replacement programme” (SVRP) vessels, such as for the Gigha and Iona routes, as part of a £175m project. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
However, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced on Tuesday the contract would be put out to competitive tender because a direct award carried “substantial risks” from legal difficulties delaying the work. Ms Forbes, who is also economy secretary and responsible for the Port Glasgow yard, instead agreed to its request for £14.2m funding to make it more competitive.
That is seen as likely to give Ferguson Marine a fighting chance of winning a second SVRP order for three larger electric ferries for routes that could include Mallaig to Armadale in Skye. Union officials hope the order could be up for grabs next year. Scottish Conservatives transport spokes.