Shipbuilders warn finished fer
Workers at the state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard have warned a Holyrood watchdog that the two new CalMac ferries Glen Sannox and Hull 802, already three times over-budget at £300 million and five years late, may not be fit for purpose when finished.
The revelation comes as CalMac’s ageing fleet, hit by faults and dry-dock delays, is stretched to its limit providing lifeline services to the Hebrides, causing well-documented disruption to islanders’ lives and businesses.
Until new ferries arrive, relief must come from chartering vessels, such as the MV Alfred which the Scottish Government is leasing for £9m for nine months, or buying second-hand ships, such as the MV Loch Frisa for Mull, for an overall cost of £10m.
Now, on top of the extra costs and delays, Hulls 801 and 802 may not be fit for purpose when they arrive, Ferguson shipbuilders have told MSPs.
Five MSPs on the public scrutiny committee visited the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow on a fact-finding mission last October. They interviewed the workforce and management about their experiences building the two ferries, 801 and 802.
The workers, quoted in the committee’s report published on Thursday March 23, said “securing these contracts was the ‘demise’ of the yard’ and that events at the shipyard since the contracts were awarded to Ferguson Marine had led to the spirit of the yard being ‘broken’.”
“It was explained that vessel 801 is a ‘constant source of embarrassment’ and that staff don’t tell people they work for Ferguson Marine.”
Workers at the described “money wasted”, vessels not yard getting painted to protect them from rust, the purchase of a £380,000 machine that was not fit for purpose, yard changes that made unloading lorries take eight hours instead of 20 minutes, and “a funnel built without any pipes allowing some managers to receive a bonus”. The work had to be redone later.
The report added: “Concerns were also expressed that there remains a risk that the vessels may not be considered fit for purpose once they are completed. The importance of senior managers facing up to these risks was highlighted during the meeting.”
This month the public spending watchdog Audit Scotland said it expects the project to cost at least £293m - three times the original contract. Deputy First Minister John
Swinney has warned costs may rise again. Mr Swinney announced a further delay in the Glen Sannox from May to this autumn, if not the end of 2023. Glen Sannox’s sister vessel, the as-yet unnamed Hull 802, will also be delayed, from March 2024 to “late summer”, if not the end of 2024.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), the state owner of CalMac’s ferries which contracted Ferguson Marine to build the two new ships in 2015, said: “We remain confident in, and committed to, their delivery.”
David Tydeman, chief executive of Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow), said: “The focus of the senior leadership team is the completion of the two hulls and securing the future of the shipyard.”
In this latest report into “a ferry fiasco riddled with failures”, the public scrutiny committee’s convener Richard Leonard MSP said: “The people of Scotland and island communities have been badly let down. There have been collective failures at government and agency from the start.
“It has been dogged by a lack of transparency; by ineffective governance arrangements; by poor record keeping within the government and by baffling communication failures.
“We recognise the efforts by the Scottish Government to protect jobs at Ferguson Marine and commend the workforce for their resilience during what has been and continues to be an extremely challenging time. Their experienced voices should have been listened to from the outset.
“It is vital lessons are learned. That means much-needed reform of governance arrangements for future vessel projects. But it also means a change in the way the government and its agencies conduct themselves and are accountable to parliament and the people.”
The public audit committee held an informal discussion with staff at Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow on October 31 2022. In their report, an level