UK
How Scotland’s ferry fiasco became a national scandal
The Isle of Arran’s majestic scenery masks a national scandal it has been the victim of for almost a decade.
Two new ferries were ordered in 2015 to replace a fleet of failing vessels that have been serving Scotland’s remote islands every single day for 40 years. Construction began eight years ago.
The elephant in the room is that they have not carried a single passenger so far. Not one.
A botched design process plagued the original 2018 delivery date resulting in the shipyard collapsing into administration.
It was bought by the Scottish government which has been lumbered with obscene cost overruns ever since.
The ferries saga has plagued the SNP politically for years
The original contract, which was accused of being rigged, was supposed to cost £97m but mismanagement and a string of blunders, including installing the wrong cables on an entire vessel, means the final costs are likely to rob the public purse of £400m.
The cash-cow project has been described as one of the biggest procurement disasters in the history of Scottish devolution.
Islanders live in dread of their ageing ferries breaking down or being unable to cope with regular bouts of poor weather.
Pensioners Ena and Raymond Burke have lived on Arran for nearly 40 years.
‘Our whole life is just worrying about the ferry’
Pensioners Ena and Raymond Burke have lived on Arran for nearly 40 years.
Raymond, 78, is battling an aggressive form of cancer and has to travel to hospital in Glasgow for specialist treatment.
The couple have told Sky News the unreliable service means they are being forced to leave the island up to four days before each appointment to avoid problems.
Ena believes the “constant worry” about the ferries is making Raymond’s medical ordeal worse.
She told Sky News: “When you live on an island the ferry rules your life. It puts huge pressure on us.
“You find yourself sitting there crying, thinking I can’t go through this anymore. I can’t face this journey across. I can’t face the fact I don’t know whether the boat is going to sail.
“Our whole life is just worrying about the ferry.”
David Henderson has been a farmer on Arran for 49 years.
‘We are counting the cost financially and mentally’
David Henderson has been a farmer on Arran for 49 years.
He is in the middle of lambing season and complains that delays to the new ferries are leaving him out of pocket.
He said: “When we are trying to get cattle to the market [on the mainland], you are constantly worried about whether the ferries are going to set sail.
“It’s a constant topic of conversation. We are working with a boat that is 40 years old and they are just not reliable enough.
“If we’d got the new boats when they were supposed to come, hopefully they’d have been a better boat. We are counting the cost financially and mentally.”
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Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon repeatedly defended the decision to take the yard into public ownership, insisting it saved jobs and safeguarded shipbuilding on the Clydeside from wipe-out.
But the ferries saga has plagued the SNP politically for years.
The second of the two under-fire ferries, named the MV Glen Rosa, entered the water for the first time in recent days but it will be late 2025 before it is likely to be in service.
At its launch on Tuesday, Sky News questioned Scottish government minister Mairi McAllan.
She said: “There is no doubt the projects have been beset with some difficulties and legacy challenges. The launch of the Glen Rosa is an important part of our plan to deliver six new ferries by 2026.
“I understand the challenge with the resilience of the network but nonetheless we are celebrating with the workforce of Ferugson Marine shipyard and the community about this majestic boat.”
The 40-year-old ferry due to be replaced
Meanwhile, the head of a Scottish government ferry company has told Sky News he will not quit despite the price tag bulging to four times the original cost.
Caledonian Maritime Assets LTD (CMAL) owns the ferries, ports and harbours as well as being responsible for procuring new vessels.
‘We are where we are,’ admits ferry chief
Kevin Hobbs, managing director, told Sky News: “This has not been the best procurement the company has ever been involved in. However, we are where we are and the main focus now is to get both of these ferries into service.”
Asked if he should be considering his position given his own role in the debacle, he said: “No I don’t think so. This contract was signed before I even started. I inherited it.”
Four other ferries have been ordered by the Scottish government to replace other ageing vessels. They are being built in Turkey and being delivered on time and on budget.
The question is whether the long-term casualty of this chaos could be the future of the once world-renowned Scottish shipyards.
Regardless of the hard work of innocent staff, will this be the final nail in the coffin for a shipyard that has become synonymous with expensive and as-yet undelivered boats – and crucially has no more orders on its books?