CMAL slams MIFC’s ‘flawed’ ferry study
The Scottish Government has hit back at islanders’ ‘flawed’ analysis that one of CalMac’s new ferries for Islay is twice the price of a similar Norwegian ferry built at the same shipyard, saying it is like comparing ‘apples and pears’.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), the national owner of CalMac’s ferries and ports, appointed Cemre shipyard in Turkey to build Islay’s two new vessels, due in 2024 and 2025.
Members of Mull and Iona Ferry Committee (MIFC) compared the costs of constructing CMAL’s two new ferries with a new ferry for a Norwegian operator Torghatten Nord, at the shipyard in Yalova.
MIFC’s post said of the two new Islay ferries: ‘Each of the pair of diesel-electric ferries will carry 107 cars and 350 people, and cost £52 million. The Norwegian ferry operator Torghatten Nord announced an order from the same Turkish shipyard for a ferry of slightly larger capacity – 120 cars and 399 passengers. Despite being such similar vessels being built beside one another in the same yard at the same time, the Norwegian ferry will cost as little as half the CMAL vessels, at £26m-£31m.’
MIFC then asked what accounted for the difference, concluding: ‘With each new ferry procurement, CMAL starts with a blank sheet of paper and develops a unique ferry, never before built. The Norwegian vessel by contrast uses a common design that will be repeated.’ A spokesperson from CMAL responded: ‘For clarity, the Islay vessels are £45 million, not £52 million as quoted. The analysis and comparisons between the Islay vessels and those for the Norwegian operator are flawed.
‘All of the designs for vessels serving our network begin with the operational and service requirements, which are defined by Transport Scotland and the operator. These vary from country to country and are specific to weather, operating and sea state conditions.
‘The vessels for Islay and the vessels for Norway are two completely different projects with differing requirements. The assessment made is comparing apples and pears.
‘However, we are committed to further defining these differences and will work with the shipyard to establish a fuller comparison, and can share details of this once completed.’
The Oban Times understands the vessels themselves are £45m each, and the additional £15m of the £105m budget covers costs such as project management, crew familiarisation and training, insurance, contract variation costs, and includes a contingency budget.