Ferry crisis: Now Scots ports may be forced to close, warns quango
SCOTLAND’S vital ferry services are facing a new threat – as the country’s crumbling ports may soon have to be closed down.
Ferry bosses have warned that terminals used on some of the busiest routes to the islands are facing ‘life expiry’. Oban, in
Argyll – a major hub providing connections to Mull, Barra and South Uist – is among those in desperate need of upgrading.
Ramsay Muirhead, a director at state-owned Caledonian Maritime Assets, told a recent board meeting: ‘It is an undeniable fact that a number of major ports that CMAL own are reaching “life expiry”.
‘Should funding not be secured, this would mean that we would have no option but to close the facilities – that scenario would have major detrimental impacts regarding lifeline ferry services.’
The Scottish Government is already under fire for its handling of the construction of two ferries.
Last night critics said the revelations about the crumbling ports were evidence of a new ferry scandal.
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: ‘The failure to upgrade these ports in a timely fashion is a complete dereliction of duty from SNP Ministers.’
CMAL owns infrastructure at 26 ports and leases 32 vessels to stateowned operator CalMac – but the fleet has been plagued by breakdowns, leaving islanders stranded and businesses on the brink.
Almost every sailing to South Uist was cancelled in June owing to a lack of vessels. Last week the service between Ardrossan in Ayrshire and Campbeltown in Argyll was cancelled for the rest of the year because of problems with MV Hebridean Isles.
A string of ports are in dire need of redevelopment too, including Mallaig in Inverness-shire, Armadale on Skye and Castlebay on Barra.
The looming crisis was discussed at a CMAL board meeting on Harris in June. Minutes show chief executive Kevin Hobbs said it needs ‘additional revenue to help fund major projects that are in the pipeline including Gourock [Renfrewshire], Port Ellen [on Islay] and Gasay [on South Uist] as examples of projects that will cross the £45 million threshold’.
Finance director Heather Ferguson added: ‘There are challenges around funding for the high-value projects that are required.’
Six new ferries are on order but none is expected to be ready to take passengers before 2024.
They include the two vessels at the centre of the scandal around the Ferguson Marine shipyard on the Clyde. The pair are five years behind schedule and £150 million over budget.
MV Glen Sannox – destined for the Ardrossan to Arran route along with the unnamed Hull 802 – was famously ‘launched’ by Nicola Sturgeon in 2017 with fake windows painted on.
However, neither will be able to use the Ayrshire port until it has been upgraded to accommodate them.
Ardrossan is owned by Peel Ports but the work is being overseen by a ministerial taskforce including CMAL. Last week Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop announced that a twoyear work programme has been put on ice until the business case has been reviewed.
A temporary switch to the nearby port of Troon has been delayed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s concerns about plans for dealing with additional sewage.
The Arran Ferry Action Group called Mr Muirhead’s latest warnings ‘hair-raising’. Secretary Chris Attkins said: ‘People on Arran are thoroughly fed up with the whole thing. CMAL are impossible to deal with and Scottish Ministers won’t meet us. It’s been a pretty disastrous summer.’
A Transport Scotland spokesman said CMAL has ‘responsibilities to ensure the efficient and safe operations for ferries and other users’.
CMAL said it has an investment and maintenance programme which ‘ensures all of our ports and harbours are kept safe and operational’.
A spokesman added: ‘Current funding [which ends in 2026] gives us confidence that there will be no need for any port closures.’
‘Complete dereliction of duty from SNP Ministers’