'Absolutely gutted': Reaction as Ferguson yard misses out on ferry contract
The jobs of the hundreds of people who work at Fergusons, as well as the yard's many subcontractors, have been left hanging in the balance after Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) that it had chosen a Polish yard as the 'lead bidder' for a £175 million contract to build seven new small electric ferries for the CalMac fleet.
And while the contract is only the first stage in CMAL's two-phase 'small vessel replacement programme', with the second phase to be the subject of a separate procurement exercise later this year, yesterday's news has been widely viewed as a body blow for the Port Glasgow yard – which currently has no work on its order books once MV Glen Rosa, the second new vessel being built for CalMac's Arran route, is complete.
Bosses at Ferguson Marine – whose interim chief executive, John Petticrew, resigned last week, citing personal reasons – insist they remain optimistic about its future.
(Image: George Munro)
GMB Scotland said the decision to send the contract to Poland made 'no sense' and said Ferguson Marine workers 'deserve better'.
Alex Logan, GMB Scotland convener at the Port Glasgow yard, said: "This is another blow to a workforce that has been used as political punch bag for far too long.
"The reputation of skilled and committed workers has been dragged down by the incompetence and miscalculation of others.
"This contract should have allowed the yard to seize back a reputation for excellence unfairly torn away.
"The Scottish Government is investing in the yard but what use is investment without contracts?
"We had a worldwide reputation for building small vessels and sending this work overseas makes no sense for the workers, for islanders or for the people of Scotland.
(Image: George Munro)
"We will continue to fight for future contract to build on the strengths of this yard, its workers and apprentices, and secure a future building ships on the Clyde."
Mr Logan said he GMB hoped other contracts would be won in the near future to 'protect the skills' at the yard.
He added: "The Scottish Government is investing £14m in upgrading the facilities which makes no sense without work.
"While today's announcement is disappointing, it was not unexpected and we are working to support other tenders for other work."
Inverclyde and West Renfrewshire MP Martin McCluskey slammed the news. (Image: Newsquest) Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey said the SNP had chosen Poland over Port Glasgow, and pledged to make representations to the Scottish Government.
He added: "This is an incredibly disappointing decision by CMAL and is the result of the Scottish Government failing to provide a direct award to the yard.
"This should never have been allowed to happen.
"Now, no workers in Scotland - let alone in Inverclyde - will benefit from these contracts.
"Ferguson's successfully built vessels similar to these in the past, and could again.
"The contract award took no consideration of the social impact of not awarding these contracts to Port Glasgow.
(Image: PA)
'The same mistake cannot be made in the next round of the small vessels replacement programme.
"The workers in the yard deserve a break after years of being let down by the Scottish Government and poor management.
"I will be making representations to the Scottish Government today - as the owners of the yard - for them to lay out their plan to secure the jobs at the yard."
Greenock and Inverclyde SNP MSP Stuart McMillan said he was left 'absolutely gutted' by the decision and said workers would be 'devastated'.
He added: "The workforce can build top quality vessels, and they have proven that with the three small hybrid vessels previously built.
"Phase one of the small vessels programme would have secured a medium-term future for the yard from which to build upon.
"I know the workforce will be devasted; they have gone through a great deal of false dawns and it's not what they deserve."
(Image: George Munro)
Mr McMillan is now calling on the Scottish Government to decide exactly what it wants from the yard going forward.
He added: "Fundamentally, CMAL is a Scottish Government body, and the Scottish Government must now decide what they want from Ferguson Marine.
"There needs to be a statement to Parliament.
"The yard has a workforce that can deliver. It now needs a board and management team that can deliver, and the Scottish Government must ensure this happens now.
"The Ferguson Marine board have a responsibility to turn the yard into a competitive business and despite progress being made, clearly, they have a long way to go.
"CMAL have run the tender exercise, and I have no doubt it followed due process.
"The management submitted their bid which obviously wasn't competitive.
"I, like many, will want to know where the yard placed out of the five tenders.
"Today's announcement only strengthens the argument that a direct award was the best option to help safeguard and develop the yard."
Mr McMillan said it is 'critical' that the yard is awarded a phase two contract.
Stuart McMillan MSP (Image: Scottish Parliament)
Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, said not awarding the contract to Ferguson's was 'a disgrace'.
He added: "This important work is going overseas to Poland instead of coming to Port Glasgow.
"Ferguson Marine has a track record of building smaller vessels on time and in budget.
"It's shocking that not one SNP minister has lost their job because of the ferries fiasco but they are now putting the workers' - who have been entirely blameless throughout this saga - jobs at risk.
"This is a mess of the SNP Scottish Government's own making and it's their job to clear it up.
"It is absolutely essential now that Fergusons Marine is awarded the work in the second phase of this programme to be announced later this year."
(Image: George Munro)
Jamie Greene MSP said the news was a 'hammer blow' and said he was 'deeply disappointed'.
He said a failure to come up with a plan for new contracts would be a 'betrayal'.
He added: "This outcome will be a hammer blow to the talented workforce at the yard whose skills and experience would have been an asset to this contract.
"It is crucial that the Scottish Government urgently outlines what the future of the yard actually looks like.
"We need a comprehensive plan to secure new contracts for Ferguson Marine, ensuring the yard's sustainability and the preservation of these vital jobs.
"Failure to do so would not only be a betrayal to Inverclyde, but also to Scotland's maritime legacy.
"What's the point of the Scottish taxpayer owning a shipyard on our doorstep when the SNP are handing ferry building contracts to Turkey and Poland?"
Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of CMAL, said: 'It is our responsibility to follow the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland and appoint a yard capable of producing quality vessels which meet the needs of islanders, but that also deliver the best value for the public purse.
'We are confident in Remontowa's ability, and have worked with them before, most recently with the delivery of the MV Finlaggan in 2011. We will now enter a 10-day standstill period before finalising the contract.'
Duncan Mackison, CalMac's chief executive officer, said: "Confirming the lead bidder is a significant milestone for CalMac, and we're excited to welcome new, modern small vessels to the fleet from 2027 onwards. Small vessels are an integral part of our operation, and new tonnage will allow us to improve the resilience of our service and the experience customers have on these routes. "These seven new vessels, when combined with the six major new vessels joining the fleet in 2025 and 2026, will mean a third of our entire fleet has been renewed."
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said: 'I welcome this milestone being reached in the procurement to build and deliver seven new small vessels to our ferry network.
'These seven new vessels will help improve connectivity and resilience for island residents, businesses and communities, and their electric operation will contribute to reduced carbon emissions from Scotland's ferry fleet and make ferry travel more sustainable.
'I appreciate all the work that has gone into getting us to this important stage of the procurement process, particularly by CMAL, and am hopeful that we can look forward to contracts being signed at the end of the required standstill period.'
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