Ferguson Marine could have built seven new ferries: former owner Jim McColl

Publicly owned shipyard Ferguson Marine would have been “perfectly capable” of building seven new ferries rather than the Polish rival it has lost out to, its former owner has said.

Ferry procurement arm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal) said on Monday that preferred bidder status for the new vessels – intended to serve Scotland’s smaller islands – would go to a Polish yard rather than the one in Port Glasgow.

Ferguson Marine, which was rescued by the Scottish Government from administration in 2019, has faced criticism in recent years for the much-delayed and over-budget building of two ferries for the Isle of Arran.

That yard is perfectly capable of building those ferries

Jim McColl, who previously owned Ferguson Marine, blamed Cmal for problems building the two Arran ferries and accused the Scottish Government of doing a “hatchet job” on the yard to divert attention away from problems with Cmal.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme he said it was an “absolutely crying shame” that Ferguson Marine has missed out on the contract.

He said: “That yard is perfectly capable of building those ferries. You know, the first one that we built when we took over was the Catriona, which is about the same size, and it was delivered on budget, and six weeks early.

“The workforce are capable of it, and the yard is perfectly suitable for building these and competing against the Poles.”

Remontowa Shipbuilding in Gdansk scored the highest in the tender process for the seven new ferries.

Contracts are hoped to be finalised following a 10-day “standstill period”.

Mr McColl rescued the Port Glasgow shipyard from administration when he bought it in 2014, and the contract to build the two ferries for CalMac was announced by the Scottish Government the following year.

The yard has come under intense scrutiny due to the delayed and over-budget Arran ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa – the overall cost of which is approaching four times the initial figure of £97 million.

On Friday, the Glen Sannox was taken out of service due to a crack in its hull, just two months after entering service, but has since returned to service.

The yard has not ruled out further delays to its sister ship the Glen Rosa, which is currently due to be handed over in September.

Mr McColl blamed Cmal for the problems, saying: “The specification was a real mess from Cmal.

“That’s where the problem is, and it’s been absolutely impossible for manager after manager to get to grips with that, as they’re constantly changing what they need to do.

“So this isn’t a problem the yard have. The government have done a great job of destroying that yard’s reputation by diverting attention away from where the real problem was.”

Mr McColl said he thinks that the yard can survive if it is turned over into private hands.

He said: “The yard has got to survive, but it needs to be by the government getting out of there, turning it over into private hands and agreeing to fund it for a few years so that the good, efficient management can work with that yard.

“Because it’s a good facility, and there’s a very experienced workforce, and it’s terrible what the government have done with their propaganda campaign against the yard, diverting attention away from a quango that has made an absolute mess, an absolute mess of this.”

A Cmal spokesperson said: “We followed a robust procurement process for the small vessels replacement programme and bids were scored against technical and commercial criteria. The winning yard had the highest combined score.

“While we cannot comment further on the procurement during the 10-day standstill period, we have responded to Mr McColl’s false claims on several occasions.

“FMEL had an opportunity to test these claims in court, but chose not to pursue this remedy given that they had no substance.

“We are now firmly focused on the future, with up to 16 new vessels due for delivery in the next six years.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We understand that Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow are disappointed not to be selected as lead bidder for SVRP.

“The board has developed a new business strategy which targets a range of opportunities where the yard is capable and hopeful of winning new work.

“Ministers back the board’s vision and have allocated up to £14.2 million over the next two financial years to enhance yard infrastructure and deliver productivity improvements, provided standard commercial tests can be satisfied.”