More than £1m spent sending CalMac and CMAL staff to Turkey to oversee construction of four new ferries

More than £1m has been spent sending CalMac and CMAL staff to Turkey to oversee the construction of four new ferries, a freedom of information request has revealed.

The two companies, which operate and manage Scotland’s nationalised ferry networks, have spent £1,016,162 on remuneration, subsistence, accommodation, flights and car hires on staff visiting the Turkish yard since 2022.

CalMac sent eight staff to Turkey, spending £845,981, whilst £170,181 was spent on five CMAL employees.

One Ferguson Marine employee was also sent to Turkey but the costs were covered by CMAL.

The Scottish Conservatives, who obtained the figures, said taxpayers are being “left to pick up the tab” for the SNP’s “ferries fiasco which has left islanders without the vessels they need”.

CalMac said the bulk of the cash related to wages, which would have been paid even if staff did not go to Turkey. It said the extra amount due to travel-related expenses was £23,000.

CMAL also said the same wages would have been paid to its staff regardless of travel costs.

The Tories criticised the building of ferries for Scotland overseas (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Media

The Cemre shipyard in Turkey was awarded the contracts to build four new vessels worth more than £200m.

The nationalised Ferguson Marine year in Port Glasgow built the Glen Sannox and the still under construction Glen Rosa – which surged to more than four times their original £97m price tag, and were pushed back for completion several times.

Tory transport spokeswoman Sue Webber said it is “a measure of how badly the SNP have mismanaged Ferguson Marine that ferries which should be built on the west coast of Scotland are instead being made in Turkey”.

She said: “Taxpayers are being forced to foot yet another hefty bill as a result of the SNP’s ferries fiasco.

“After squandering half-a-billion pounds on the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, ministers have blown another £1m flying staff to Turkey to keep tabs on the ferries being built there.

“Some project oversight is understandable after the huge problems with the Ferguson-built ferries – but this level of spending seems excessive.”

Sue Webber MSP Scottish Conservative in the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh. Picture date: Tuesday October 5, 2021. PA Media

Ms Webber said the SNP had “betrayed islanders and taxpayers at every turn” by leaving remote communities reliant on out-of-date vessels while “letting costs spiral out of control for hard-pressed Scots”.

She added: “This scandal is entirely of the nationalists’ making. But despite years of chaos, incompetence and broken promises, not a single minister has carried the can.

“SNP ministers, who are responsible for Ferguson Marine, must finally provide the support the yard needs to compete, so that ferries can be built here in Scotland, not abroad.”

A CalMac spokeswoman said: “New vessels are an essential addition to the CalMac fleet and we are very much looking forward to MV Isle of Islay joining us next month.

“Staff and crew have been spending valuable time at the yard in Turkey carrying out vital work to support CMAL with the build process and to ensure that the vessel is built as specified, and meets all legal and classification standards.

“This is the same as the process involved for MV Glen Sannox before she joined the fleet.

“Staff working in Turkey include marine and technical specialists as well as the senior crew who will be responsible for the vessel’s safe passage to Scotland.

“Their role includes the implementation of the important processes and procedures required to gain the necessary safety management and other certification needed to operate the vessel in UK waters.

“Thirteen brand new vessels will be joining CalMac by 2029 and will be of huge benefit to service resilience and reliability, to the benefit of all customers, including island communities.

“While it’s not for CalMac to comment on where these vessels are being built, our focus remains on being as well equipped as possible to provide the ferry service our customers and island communities deserve.”

A spokesperson for CMAL said: “CMAL is required on site throughout the build of vessels to provide essential quality assurance and supervision.

“Remuneration is the same regardless of the build location, and travel and accommodation costs are standard.

“These form part of the overall project budget, which remains on target.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We intend to deliver six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network, replacing older vessels and improving reliability.

“Four of these vessels are currently under construction at the Cemre yard in Turkey and the first of the Islay class vessels is expected to be delivered from November 2025.

“As people would expect, CMAL has been and is continuing to work closely with the shipyard to reduce the time between delivery of each of the new vessels where possible.

“We expect delivery of MV Isle of Islay later this year and MV Lochmor was successfully launched on August 23, 2025 marking another construction milestone.”