List Arrivals, Sailings and Events
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News EventFriday, July 4, 2025 @ 0600 |
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Ferguson Marine Shipyard at Port Glasgow needs urgent investment to survive |
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From BBC Scotland online news 4 July 2025Shipyard needs urgent investment to survive, MSPs warnThe Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow was taken into public ownership in 2019 The publicly-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard needs "urgent investment" to become more competitive and survive, according to a committee of MSPs. The yard has no pipeline of work lined up beyond the ferry MV Glen Rosa, which is expected to be delivered by the middle of next year, raising concern for its future. Holyrood's public audit committee said leadership and governance failings along with the delays and cost overruns building two CalMac ferries had caused "reputational damage", despite the yard's long and proud history. The MSPs said there was no shortage of potential work, and recovery was possible but it would require investment and better oversight. The Port Glasgow shipyard recently missed out on a government-funded order for seven small CalMac ferries, seen as well-suited to its capabilities. During a visit to Ferguson's last month, committee members were told its bid was rated best on quality, but labour costs meant it lost out to a rival shipyard in Poland. The committee said the yard's inability to compete effectively in the open market was, in part, "the result of decades of under investment".
Committee convener Richard Leonard told BBC Scotland News: "When we visited the yard it was obvious that it needed more capital expenditure, but there was no shortage of work out there. "If they were able to compete for the work that's coming on stream, whether it's more smaller vessels for CalMac, or to support the North Sea renewable wind developments, or to support the Border Patrol service, there is lots of work in the pipeline, it's just not going to Ferguson's at the minute." A year ago Scottish ministers promised £14.2m of investment over two years to improve productivity, although it remains unclear how much has yet been delivered. The Labour MSP said he believed about £25m was required to modernise the shipyard effectively. "This is a yard with a distinguished past which could have a distinguished future as well," he said. He added: "There is no doubt that the yard has suffered significant reputational damage and that the workers at Ferguson Marine deserve better, the communities waiting for a new ferry deserve better and the people of Scotland deserve better." PA Media The Glen Sannox entered service in January after a near seven year delay The report raised concerns about a number of recent issues, some of them previously highlighted by the Auditor General. They included:
In May, Ferguson Marine said the delivery date for Glen Rosa had been pushed back by another nine months and the cost of the ship had increased by up to £35m. The committee expressed "serious concern" at this and urged ministers to give "urgent clarification" about where the additional funds were coming from.
MV Glen Rosa was launched from the Ferguson slipway in April 2024 but it still requires fitting out work at the quayside The Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow was nationalised in 2019 after contracts for the two dual-fuel ships, Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, ran into difficulties, and ferries procurement body CMAL rejected claims for extra costs. The last commercial yard on the River Clyde, which employs about 300 workers and apprentices, is now run by a government-owned company Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow (FMPG). Delays and design challenges continued under public ownership with the cost of the two ships now about £460m if written-off government loans and money paid out prior to nationalisation are included. The original contract price was £97m. Glen Sannox was finally delivered to CMAL last November, nearly seven years late, and the second ship is due by the end of June 2026. While many competing explanations for the problems have been put forward, there has been broad political consensus that the workforce themselves are not to blame. One of the committee's recommendations is that workforce representatives be given a greater role in board meetings. The MSPs noted that the yard remained hopeful of securing orders for three small CalMac ferries in the second phase of the small vessels replacement programme. A report on their recent site visit also revealed that management had asked ministers to consider directly awarding a forthcoming contract for a replacement for MV Lord of the Isles, an 85m long ferry which was previously built by Ferguson's. |
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News EventMonday, July 7, 2025 @ 0615 |
CALEDONIAN ISLES (1993- Passenger and vehicle ferry 308 feet 94m long of Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock) |
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Caledonian MacBrayne bid to reclaim costs for fault-prone Arran Ferry CALEDONIAN ISLES |
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From BBC Scotland online news 7 July 2025CalMac bid to reclaim costs for fault-prone Arran ferryChristopher Brindle
MV Caledonian Isles is now back at Greenock after new technical problems delayed its long-awaited return
Ferry operator CalMac is trying to recover millions of pounds of repair costs for a ship that has been out of action for 18 months - and is still not fixed. The repair bill for MV Caledonian Isles, which has been sidelined from the Arran route since January 2024, has already risen to nearly £11m. CalMac is now seeking compensation from Cammell Laird over problems discovered when the ship returned to Scotland last September, after the Merseyside firm carried out the first phase of work. The claim relates to deformation of the ship's hull, which has required months of remedial work. Cammell Laird has declined to comment. The £10.8m repair bill for the vessel is equivalent to a quarter of last year's maintenance budget for the entire CalMac fleet. The publicly-owned ferry operator confirmed to BBC Scotland News that action was under way to recover some of those repair costs following an investigation into the cause of the hull deformity. "As this is commercially sensitive and subject to legal proceedings, we cannot comment further," it said in a statement. Dan Hitchens
Caledonian Isles spent months in dry dock at Birkenhead last year
Problems with "Caley Isles", as the ship is known, began in January 2024 when annual maintenance inspections in Scotland revealed extensive steel corrosion. The 32-year-old ship was moved to the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead for a "highly complex" repair operation which required removal of the ship's engines. That meant the ferry had to spend months in a dry dock, a narrow basin which is drained, leaving the ship out of the water and supported by blocks. The work, said at the time to cost around £5m, was completed last September but when the ship sailed back to Scotland the crew noticed a gearbox problem and metal shards were discovered in a filter. Further investigation revealed that eight frames, the ribs of the ship's structural skeleton, were deformed and that more steel replacement was required. CalMac engaged a naval architect to report on the root cause of the deformation, while more repairs were carried out in Greenock, by a different ship repair firm. The ferry was due to resume sailing from Ardrossan last month, but a new fault affecting its variable pitch propellers, essential for manoeuvring in harbour, was identified during sea trials, and the ship is still out of service.
The prolonged absence of MV Caledonian Isles has added to pressures on the west coast ferry network, and had a major impact on Ardrossan where the new Arran ferry MV Glen Sannox is too big to berth safely. Glen Sannox operates instead from Troon, 15 miles down the Ayrshire coast, which involves a longer crossing to Arran and fewer daily sailings. Meanwhile, Ardrossan, normally the main gateway to Arran, has been left without ferry sailings for six months, with campaigners claiming the economy has suffered. Sailing from the port will finally resume later on Monday with the 41-year-old ferry MV Isle of Arran drafted to provide temporary cover during July while Caledonian Isles remains out of action. Why are CalMac's ships breaking down so often?The particular issues facing MV Caledonian Isles are part of a wider problem as CalMac tries to maintain services with an increasingly ageing and unreliable fleet. CalMac does not own its ships - instead it leases them from another government-owned company CMAL which is responsible for harbours and ferry procurement. But CalMac does have to pay for maintenance, which has proven costly due to delays in the provision of new vessels.
The annual repair bill has nearly trebled over the past 10 years. When MV Glen Sannox entered service in January, it was the first new large ship provided to the ferry operator by CMAL in nearly a decade. Half of CalMac's 10 major vessels have now reached or are beyond their 30-year expected service life. Aside from rust issues, there are difficulties replacing equipment which is often so old that spares have to be specially manufactured. To make up for a shortage of vessels CalMac has chartered a catamaran, MV Alfred, from Pentland Ferries at a cost of £1m per month since May 2023. By the time the charter ends in October, it will have paid out around double the £14.5m it cost Pentland Ferries to build the vessel. The pressures should begin to ease from next winter onwards as the first of five new major vessels currently under construction for CMAL start to arrive. CMAL
MV Isle of Islay, the first of four ships being built in Turkey, should arrive in the autumn
The first of four ships being built in Turkey, MV Isle of Islay, is on track for delivery by the end of September, about a year later than originally planned. The second Turkish ship, MV Loch Indaal, should arrive in the spring of 2026, with the other two following on at six monthly intervals. The long- delayed MV Glen Rosa is expected to be ready by the end of June next year, and is earmarked to join its sister ship MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route.
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News EventMonday, July 7, 2025 @ 1145 |
ALFRED (2019- Ro-ro passenger catamaran ferry 84m overall on charter to Caledonian MacBrayne from Pentland Ferries) |
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Catamaran ALFRED on time charter to Caledonian MacBrayne on lay-by at Port of Ayr (Scotland) |
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News EventSaturday, July 19, 2025 @ 0600 |
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Aberdeen (City in north-east Scotland, UK) will host the Tall Ships Races 19 - 22 July 2025 |
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Aberdeen to be 'party city' during Tall Ships RacesSail Training International
The Tall Ships event will be held in July Aberdeen will be turned into a "party city" when it hosts the Tall Ships Races later this year, according to the event's organisers. They have unveiled the full programme for the spectacle which will be held from Saturday 19 July to Tuesday 22 July. Dozens of vessels from around the world will take part, and hundreds of thousands of people are expected to enjoy the four-day event. The organisers say they expect it to be the biggest tourist event in Scotland this year. Additional attractions will include free live music, and street food stalls. A previously-announced gig by Deacon Blue as part of the Tall Ships event has already sold out. Tickets for Kaiser Chiefs - 'I Predict a Riot' is among their hits - and a Ministry of Sound Classical event are also sold out. Getty Images
Deacon Blue have already sold out a Tall Ships gig
Aside from the main names, other acts include Tide Lines, Calum Bowie, Glasvegas, Brooke Combe, Little Kicks, Capollos and Look Busy Collective. The event organisers revealed there would be a "vibrant" line-up of live music, including Scottish trad, jazz, Afrobeat, hip hop, and Latin soul. The line-up also features local choirs and youth ensembles. Young children will be catered for with attractions at a family zone at Blaikie's Quay including a giant sandpit and entertainment. People can also get their picture taken with Tall Ships Aberdeen mascot, Dorry the Dolphin, during the festival. Children can meet Dorry the dolphin
Four days of events are planned Emma Wadee, Aberdeen City Council's Tall Ships Project Manager, said: "We know how much the people of Aberdeen love to party - we saw that during the Dons' Scottish Cup victory parade. "We hope people will turn out in their thousands again to enjoy everything on offer at The Tall Ships Races and help turn the Granite City into Party City from morning to night."
Emma Wadee predicted people would turn out in their thousands The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. Vessels from Oman, Uruguay and Peru will be among those taking part. Aberdeen previously hosted the prestigious event in 1991 and 1997. Greenock and Lerwick are among other towns to have featured in the event's history, which dates back to the 1970s. |
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