Ferguson shipyard misses out on new CalMac ferry order

The nationalised Ferguson shipyard has missed retired connected a important bid for 7 tiny all-electric ferries for westbound seashore relation Caledonian MacBrayne.

Ferries procurement bureau CMAL has alternatively named a Polish firm, Remontowa, arsenic preferred bidder for the tiny vessels replacement programme (SVRP).

Ferguson's, the past commercialized shipyard connected the Clyde, had vowed to bid "aggressively" for the declaration and had made it onto a shortlist of six bidders.

A full of £175m has been allocated to physique the caller "loch class" vessels and implicit harbour and enactment powerfulness upgrades. The archetypal ferries are owed to articulation the CalMac fleet successful 2027.

The declaration was a cardinal portion of Ferguson Marine's five-year concern program pursuing delays and outgo overruns successful the operation of 2 overmuch larger ferries for CalMac.

The 50m (164ft) all-electric ferries are akin to ones it has delivered successfully successful the past by the Port Glasgow shipyard, and could person fixed it a pipeline of repeatable enactment lasting respective years.

GMB convener Alex Logan said it was a stroke to a workforce whose estimation had been dragged down by the "incompetence and miscalculation of others".

"They merit amended and this declaration should person allowed the gait to prehend backmost a estimation for excellence unfairly torn away," helium said.

"The Scottish authorities is investing successful the gait but what usage is concern without contracts?

"We had a worldwide estimation for gathering tiny vessels and sending this enactment overseas makes nary consciousness for the workers, for islanders oregon for the radical of Scotland."

Scottish government-owned CMAL said the grant to the Polish steadfast represented "best value" for the nationalist purse.

But Scottish Labour said the authorities had failed to basal up for cardinal Scottish industries, portion the Scottish Conservatives claimed SNP mismanagement could beryllium to beryllium the "death knell" for Ferguson's.

The Ferguson bid for the SVRP is understood to person ranked good for prime but missed retired owed to the difficulties successful matching overseas yards connected cost.

Chief fiscal serviceman David Dishon said: "We are precise arrogant of our bid and though we priced it competitively, we were up against highly pugnacious contention from yards extracurricular the UK which payment from importantly reduced operating costs and precocious superior concern programmes.

"The weighting for terms volition truthful spot each UK yards astatine a disadvantage. However, we were pleased to spot Ferguson Marine's bid rated truthful highly connected quality."

Remontowa has antecedently built the CalMac ferries MV Argyle, MV Bute and MV Finlaggan, and was runner up to Ferguson's erstwhile the contracts for MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa were awarded successful 2015.

Price contention from the Gdansk-based steadfast was blamed for the diminution of Ferguson Shipbuilders successful the aboriginal 2000s - and successful 2005 SNP politicians joined the yard's absorption successful lodging a ailment with the European Commission astir unfair subsidies.

Remontowa and the Polish authorities denied the claim.

CMAL main enforcement Kevin Hobbs said the bids had been assessed against a scope of method and fiscal criteria, weighted 65% connected prime and 35% connected cost.

He said: "It is our work to travel the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland and name a gait susceptible of producing prime vessels which conscionable the needs of islanders, but that besides present the champion worth for the nationalist purse.

"We are assured successful Remontowa's ability, and person worked with them before, astir precocious with the transportation of the MV Finlaggan successful 2011."

There present follows a 10-day "standstill period" aft which the declaration volition beryllium signed.

The caller ferries volition run connected the Colintraive-Rhubodach (Bute); Lochaline-Fishnish (Mull); Tarbert (Loch Fyne)-Portavadie; Iona-Fionnphort (Mull); Sconser-Raasay; Tobermory-Kilchoan (Mull); and Tayinloan-Gigha routes.

Phase 2 of the programme volition spot the acquisition of 3 much vessels which are susceptible of handling much challenging oversea states, but that declaration volition spell to tender separately.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the caller ferries would amended "connectivity and resiliance" for land communities.

"Their electrical cognition volition lend to reduced c emissions from Scotland's ferry fleet and marque ferry question much sustainable," she added.

The ferries volition besides beryllium fitted with back-up diesel engines, and CMAL has antecedently warned they whitethorn run connected diesel initially due to the fact that of challenges successful upgrading the powerfulness grid.

Ferguson Marine had lobbied on with commercialized unions and section politicians for the publicly-funded tiny vessels replacement programme declaration to beryllium awarded to it directly.

But the Scottish authorities said it feared doing truthful mightiness breach UK subsidy power laws, and the declaration was enactment retired to competitory tender.

Thirteen firms expressed an involvement successful the SVRP, with Ferguson's making it onto a shortlist of six bidders.

Inverclyde's Labour MP Martin McCluskey accused the Scottish authorities of "prioritising opportunities successful Poland alternatively than Port Glasgow".

"Ferguson's successfully built vessels akin to these successful the past and could again," helium said

"The declaration grant took nary information of the societal interaction of not awarding these contracts to Port Glasgow - the aforesaid mistake cannot beryllium made successful the adjacent circular of the tiny vessels replacement programme.

"The workers successful the gait merit a interruption aft years of being fto down by the Scottish authorities and mediocre management."

Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: "It should beryllium a fixed that a nationalised shipyard wins a Scottish authorities contract.

"Yet it's a measurement of however severely the SNP person mismanaged Ferguson's that ferries which should beryllium built connected the westbound seashore of Scotland are alternatively to beryllium made successful eastbound Europe."

Ferguson's employs astir 300 workers and apprentices successful an country of precocious deprivation and has built six retired of the 10 largest ships presently successful CalMac's fleet.

But the steadfast has struggled with operation of MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, the archetypal dual-fuel ferries built successful the UK susceptible of moving connected liquefied earthy gas.

Design challenges, disputes implicit rising costs and an acrimonious stand-off with the lawsuit CMAL saw the steadfast instrumentality to medication successful 2019 erstwhile it was nationalised, with problems continuing nether nationalist ownership.

The recently-delivered Glen Sannox has been praised by ferry users connected the Arran way but the vessel was unexpectedly taken retired of work connected Friday aft a hairline ace successful a weld connected its hull led to a tiny leak.

The responsibility was rapidly repaired and the vessel resumed sailings connected Sunday.

The 2nd vessel MV Glen Rosa is successful the last stages of operation with different hold expected erstwhile the adjacent transportation update is fixed shortly.

The shipyard is inactive pursuing alternate concern opportunities, including defence sub-contracting enactment from BAE Systems and backstage assemblage work.