Ferry design intransigence

Sir,

The introduction - belatedly - of a catamaran on the Arran service will, hopefully, alter the monohull-focussed perspective of CMAL with regard to vessel procurement.

A dose of modern ferry company operation and financial realism is long overdue. No credible explanation for profligate spending of public money has been given.

The following information gives some indication of “design intransigence” and its impact on ferry renewal costs.

❚ 2007: Finlaggan ordered at a cost of £24.5 million, capable of carrying 85 cars.

❚ Pentalina ordered and delivered at £7 million, 75-car capacity, Pentland Ferries.

❚ 2016: Hull 801 - Glen Sannox - £50 million - now in excess of £150 million and unfinished.

❚ Hull 802?

❚ Alfred - £14.5 million ordered and delivered, Pentland Ferries.

Sea Transport Corporation (STC), a world leader in catamaran design and build, with

Dr Stuart Ballantyne, a Scots Australian, as chairman, also made the following bids, offering catamarans as ferry renewal for the aged Scottish fleet:

❚ 2012/13: 35-metre catamaran, 35 cars, £4.5 million.

❚ CMAL’s choice - 3 x 43-metre hybrids, 24 cars each, £11 million plus each.

❚ 2017: 74-metre, 100 car catamaran, £14 million - relief vessel versatility

❚ 2020: 60-metre, 81 car for Mull route, £11 million. Mull is currently served by the second-hand monohull Loch Frisa - 40-car capacity, 195 passengers, 50 metres; £11 million

STC has also supplied its safe, tested and efficient designs to the US and Indian navies.

The build time for catamarans - efficient water buses - is less than half that of monohulls, does not need tons of ballast water to keep upright, are much cheaper in operation and unlikely to consume the vast maintenance cost of the current derelict CMAL fleet - £100 million in the last five years.

The merry-go-round of transport ministers, the probing and shaming comments of all investigations, from the Edward Mountain Committee to Audit Scotland, have not resulted in any real explanation of the situation.

CMAL sails on impervious to all evidence of its financial and design incompetence. Yours,

John Lamont,

Dippen.