Troubled Scottish ferry scheme faces fresh delays in new blow for SNP
The Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac faces a fresh crisis just weeks after the delivery of a long-delayed vessel that the SNP claimed would put the company back on track.
A second ship due to arrive this month will now not be delivered until June, depriving remote islands of vital connections going into the tourist season upon which their economies depend.
News of the delay to the 450-passenger Isle of Islay, under construction in Turkey, emerged in a letter to the Scottish Parliament's transport committee from the company that procures CalMac vessels.
A third of CalMac's large ships already out of action or operating at reduced capacity owing to annual maintenance or mechanical faults, including problems with one ship that have left it limited to just 45 passengers instead of the usual 900.
The latest delay represents a blow for the SNP, which had hoped to put years of upheaval at CalMac behind it after the fleet was expanded with the arrival of the Glen Sannox on the busy Arran route in January, six years late and more than £250m over budget.
The scandal around the Glen Sannox and sister vessel the Glen Rosa led the then first minister Nicola Sturgeon to nationalise Ferguson Marine, the local shipbuilder responsible for the delays in 2019, with the SNP subsequently turning to the Cemre shipyard in Turkey for its next big order.
An original delivery date of last October for the Isle of Islay had already been put back amid a shortage of steel from Ukraine and reduced staffing after Turkey's 2023 earthquake.
Transport Scotland called the latest delay 'disappointing' but said the Turkish yard had been hit by supply chain and labour challenges afflicting similar sites around the world.
In its letter, Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) said that the yard south of Istanbul lacks sufficient commissioning engineers to sign off on the vessel's various systems.
Painting of the ship's hull has also been delayed by freezing conditions in Turkey, with sea trials not now expected to begin until May, pushing back delivery until June at the earliest.
CMAL said: 'We fully appreciate this is not the news the island communities, or indeed anyone, wants to hear.'
The 3,200 residents of Islay together with whisky and seafood exports worth tens of millions of pounds a week are reliant on the ferry service, while 45,000 tourists use it to visit the island each year.
Duncan Mackison, the CalMac chief executive, said the delay to Isle of Islay was 'disappointing news' and that everyone involved in the build is 'aware of how desperately she's needed in the CalMac fleet'.
The delivery of three more vessels – the Loch Indaal, which is slated to serve neighbouring Jura, the Lochmor and the Claymore – will now follow at six-month intervals, rather than the four months previously anticipated, CMAL said.
Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish transport secretary, revealed last month that she was considering nationalising Ardrossan Harbour in Ayrshire in order to fund its enlargement.
The Glen Sannox is too big to dock at the primary port for Arran and is currently having to sail from Troon, adding 20 minutes to the crossing.
South Uist in the Outer Hebrides has meanwhile seen sailings cut to three a week with a journey time that is two hours longer after its usual vessel was diverted elsewhere. The replacement can currently take just 45 passengers due to a fault in its evacuation system.
Mr Mackison said problems with several vessels had presented CalMac with 'difficult choices' in terms of service provision. He said passenger volumes would be monitored but that the South Uist service was currently sufficient to meet demand.
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