The after-effects of a debacle that has seen taxpayers pay hundreds of millions for a pair of ferries at nearly four times the original budget, are continuing with the harbour that was too small to fit the ships set to be taken into public ownership.
The affair has been one of Scotland’s biggest political scandals and ministers have confirmed that negotiations for the public purchase of Ardrossan harbour have been completed, as they attempt to mitigate its impact on the port.
On Tuesday the Scottish government also revealed that it had thrown the shipyard at the centre of the problems – Ferguson Marine – a lifeline, by directly awarding it contracts to build four new ships.
At Holyrood, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the harbour in North Ayrshire – currently owned by Peel Ports – was set to be bought by the government’s ferry procurement arm, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL).
It comes after the new CalMac ferries ordered by CMAL for the mainland-Isle of Arran route were found to be too large to berth safely at the dock.
The Glen Sannox entered service last year, with sister ship the Glen Rosa not due to be handed over until the end of 2026.
The total cost of the ferries is closing in on four times more than the initial £97.5m contract.
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As a result with the issues at the port, ferries have had to operate down the coast at Troon – leaving Ardrossan without a service for more than 18 months while the aging Caledonian Isles was out of action.
While it is not yet clear how much the Scottish government has paid for the harbour, substantial work is expected to be required to make it suitable for the new vessels.
Ms Hyslop told MSPs negotiations around the purchase had concluded and will be “signed shortly”.
She added: “This purchase will secure the port in public ownership to allow us to focus on the redevelopment of the facility as the primary mainland port for Arran.
“I cannot confirm the full details until the commercial deal and related agreements have formally concluded, but my previous updates have been clear that this has been a complex negotiation to bring about wider benefits for our ferry services in the longer term.
“There is work to be done to move forward to tender for the port redevelopment, but CMAL are already considering short-term work to ensure resilient operations whilst the MV Caledonian Isles continues to operate from Ardrossan and we are committed to funding a two-port service until the major work starts.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes also told the chamber the Scottish government will directly award contracts for four new ships to Ferguson Marine in a “bridge to the future” for the yard.
The publicly-owned facility in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, has been at the centre of severe political criticism since it was taken over in 2019, revolving around the late and over-budget delivery of the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa.
Ms Forbes said the contract will be subject to a “due diligence” exercise.
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Two of the boats will be smaller ferries which will be hived off from the second phase of the government’s small vessel replacement programme – which was slated to build three replacement ferries.
The two ferries will serve the Sound of Harris and the Sound of Barra in the Western Isles.
The firm – the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde – will also be given the contract to build two fishery support vessels.
Ms Forbes said: “Ministers must of course ensure that public contracts are awarded in accordance with legal requirements and demonstrate value for communities and the taxpayer.
“A detailed due diligence process is under way within the Scottish government to closely assess the viability and implications of these proposals.
“Engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority is also among the steps that are required before any formal contract award decisions can be made.”
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The government, Ms Forbes said, would still seek to return the yard to the public sector “when the time is right”, with hopes the new contracts would help the shipyard to “re-establish itself as a credible, competitive shipbuilder by demonstrating consistent delivery, controlling costs and delivering vessels that perform in service”.
She added: “We rescued Ferguson Marine for a purpose and we are determined to see it succeed.”
