Ferguson shipyard loses out on new CalMac ferry contract

Scotland’s nationalised shipyard Ferguson Marine has lost out on the contract for seven electric ferries for CalMac.

Ferguson’s was among six businesses that bid for the £175m small vessels programme. The shipbuilder’s then-interim chief executive, John Petticrew, said Ferguson Marine would bid “aggressively” for the work.

On Monday, CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited) announced it was awarding the contract for the seven new ferries to a shipbuilding firm in Poland.

The contract was a key part of Ferguson’s five-year recovery strategy following delays and cost overruns in the construction of two much larger ferries for CalMac.

There had previously been calls for the Scottish Government – which owns Ferguson Marine and CalMac – to directly award the tender for the vessels to the yard, but legal considerations meant this was not possible.

CMAL said the bids were robustly assessed against “technical and financial criteria”. Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A in Gdansk scored the highest and was identified as the winning yard, beating out Ferguson’s bid.

The first vessels expected in 2027, the contract for the seven small, 50m, all-electric ferries will help to support island communities and improve the resilience of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.

Chief executive Kevin Hobbs said it was CMAL’s responsibility to appoint a shipyard capable of producing “quality vessels which meet the needs of islanders” that can also deliver 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,” Mr Hobbs said.

Scottish Conservative shadow transport secretary Sue Webber criticised the situation as “devastating” for Ferguson Marine.

“It could yet prove the death knell for the yard,” Webber said.

However, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said the announcement on Monday was a “milestone” to deliver the seven new small ferries.

“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,” she said.

“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.”

Duncan Mackison, CalMac’s chief executive officer, added: “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.”

CMAL will now enter a ten-day standstill period before finalising the contract.

Last week, the interim chief executive of Ferguson Marine resigned for personal reasons, and the shipyard said it was “very close” to finding his replacement.

John Petticrew’s resignation on Thursday came a few weeks before his tenure as interim CEO at the Government-owned shipyard was due to end at Easter.

It is understood family circumstances are behind Mr Petticrew’s decision to resign and he will shortly return home to Canada.

During his period as interim CEO the long-awaited CalMac ferry Glen Sannox was handed over to its owners and the vessel began carrying passengers in January.

On Friday, the Glen Sannox was removed from service after a crack was discovered in the hull.

The crack was discovered in a weld seam near the waterline on the vessel’s hull.

It returned to service on Sunday.