Sacking ferry shipyard boss branded ‘appalling’ by former owner Mccoll
THE former owner of the shipyard building two massively delayed and over-budget ferries has described the sacking of the troubled yard’s chief executive as “appalling”.
Jim Mccoll instead blamed “incompetence” at Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) – the Scottish Government-owned body which owns the vessels, ports and infrastructure for the lifeline ferry services – for the problems with the two delayed boats.
He was speaking the day after David Tydeman was sacked by the Ferguson Marine board after telling ministers that further delays to the construction of the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa are “likely”.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme yesterday, former Ferguson Marine owner Mr Mccoll said: “I think it is appalling he was dismissed, I think David had no chance at all.”
The problems with the two ferries – which are now some six years late and will cost around three times the original price of £97 million – go back to the original specification, Mr Mccoll insisted.
He said: “The problems have been caused by the real shortcomings in the specification, which were CMAL, and that’s where the base of the problems are.
“They’re constantly having to do changes to the design to make up for that, that’s the fundamental problem here.
“David Tydeman is not the problem, the workforce are a fantastic workforce and they are not the problem. Calmac are not the problem.
“It is the design of the ferries and the incompetence in CMAL in this whole process.”
Mr Mccoll rescued the Port Glasgow shipyard from administration when he bought it in 2014, and the contract to build the two ferries for Calmac was announced by the Scottish Government the following year.
A spokesperson for CMAL said “We have responded to these false claims on a number of occasions.”
The spokesperson added: “Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited had an opportunity to test their claims in court but chose not to pursue this remedy given that they had no substance.”