Why did ScotGov support award of ferry contracts to firms abroad
It has been confirmed successful sea trials means that MV Isle of Islay - one of the first of the four ferries being built in Turkey in the wake of Scotland's ferry fiasco - is on target to be delivered sometime between next month and September.
Meanwhile concerns have emerged that vital funding needed to have one key contract to build seven smaller ferries directly awarded to state-owned Ferguson Marine was not considered justified by ministers.
Why did CMAL award ferry contracts to shipyards in Turkey and Poland?
The Scottish Government -owned ferry and port owner CMAL awarded contracts to build ferries to Cemre Shipyard in Turkey and Remontowa Shipbuilding in Poland based on competitive procurement processes. These shipyards demonstrated the capability to deliver vessels that met technical specifications, timelines, and budgetary constraints.
The Cemre yard and (inset) one of the vessels it is delivering for Scotland (Image: .) Remontowa was awarded a £175 million contract to build seven all-electric ferries, having received the highest score during the bidding process .
The Turkish shipyard Cemre Marin Endustri was contracted to construct four new roll-on/roll-off passenger and vehicle ferries for Scotland's west coast ferry network. These vessels are intended to enhance services on routes to the Isle of Islay and the Little Minch corridor, which includes Skye, Harris, and North Uist. The deals together were worth £220m.
Why was Ferguson Marine, the Scots state-owned shipyard firm not awarded these contracts?
The Inverclyde firm had faced several challenges that affected its competitiveness in the bidding process.
Firstly a lack of experience. The shipyard had not completed any ferries in the past five years, failing to meet the tender's requirement to show recent experience in building at least three similar ferries.
READ MORE:
'Laughable': Turkey-built ferry to be delivered seven years faster than fiasco ship
Cost to repair CalMac ferry now £2m more than to buy replacement
Why has a 'rudderless' CalMac ferry been out of action for 16 months
'Final nail in coffin'. Scots fiasco firm loses out on big ferry contract to Poland
'Material uncertainty' over Scots ferry operator future amidst £45m funding hike
'Mismanagement': Public cost of Scots ferry fiasco firm hits £750m amidst overspends
It had financial and operational issues. Ferguson Marine's previous projects, such as the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, were significantly delayed and over budget, raising concerns about the yard's financial stability and project management capabilities.
CMAL's procurement process emphasized technical and financial suitability. Ferguson Marine is understood to have not scored as highly as other bidders in these areas.
What were the issues with the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa projects?
The issues with Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa has become known as Scotland's ferry fiasco.
Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox's arrival to serve islands was scheduled to be online in the first half of 2018. Glen Sannox finally went into service on January but islanders are still awaiting the arrival of Glen Rosa.
Glen Sannox (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA) Both vessels were significantly behind schedule and over budget. Glen Rosa's delivery has been delayed until spring 2026, with costs soaring.
Costs of the entire project are currently expected to have multiplied at least five-fold from the original £96m price.
The delays were down to design and construction flaws. Problems included inadequate planning, quality issues, and a lack of detailed construction plans with CMAL and Ferguson Marine blaming each other for failings.
The contract also lacked adequate financial safeguards, such as a builder's refund guarantee, which would have protected public funds in case of project failures.
What are the implications of awarding contracts to overseas shipyards?
Awarding contracts to overseas shipyards has both advantages and disadvantages.
Overseas shipyards like Cemre and Remontowa, it is felt, have demonstrated the ability to deliver vessels on time and within budget.
These shipyards have experience building similar vessels, ensuring adherence to technical specifications.
But the disadvantages are the economic impact on Scotland.
Excluding domestic shipyards like Ferguson Marine can have negative effects on local employment and the Scottish shipbuilding industry.
Ferguson Marine has previously indicated that losing ferry contracts had an effect on its ability to continue as a going concern.
Ferguson Marine (Image: Colin Mearns) The decisions on the contracts have sparked political criticism and debates over the government's commitment to supporting domestic industries.
What lessons have been learned from these experiences?
While the decision to award ferry contracts to overseas shipyards was based on factors like cost, efficiency, and technical capability, it has raised important questions about the future of domestic shipbuilding in Scotland and the need for improved procurement practices.
The challenges faced in ferry procurement have highlighted the need for robust procurement processes and that contracts should include builder's refund guarantees to protect public funds.
It has also shown the requirement to balance the need for cost-effective procurement with the importance of supporting local industries.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
14 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
New funding to resolve gender 'injustice' in Scottish golf
Scotland's most decorated female golfer, Catriona Matthew, played a key role in advising both the foundation and Scottish Golf on bringing the programme to fruition. Read more: "Experience has taught me that making that step from the top of the amateur game into the professional ranks can be tough a transition," Ms Matthew said. "We all want to see more Scots competing at the top of the women's game and this programme is designed to help bridge the gap for young professionals. "I know from captaining both Lorna and Hannah in last year's Curtis Cup that they are players with a bright future, and we all want to help them reach their full potential. By putting in place this programme and laying down strong foundations of support, my sincere hope is that many more aspiring Scottish players will follow Hannah and Lorna and benefit in the years ahead." The new programme comes on the back of Scottish Golf being able to send squads out to the Bahamas over the past two years through receiving support from the Sean Connery Foundation, which was established in 2020 to reflect the James Bond actor's passions and guiding principles. Read more: "He always wanted to champion talented people who couldn't otherwise get a break, backing excellence in need," his son Stephane Connery said. "Sean greatly admired the women's game, and he saw an injustice in how little attention it got in comparison to the men's." As part of Scottish Golf's broader "Women and Girls Strategy", a separate three-year fund is being established to support employment by its member clubs of full or part-time dedicated to growing and retaining female membership. Clubs looking to welcome more women and girls, and those seeking to build momentum and growth in female participation, will be eligible for support. The phased investment from the fund will be matched by the clubs. A further "Club Education Fund" targeted specifically at the female workforce is being established to upskill and retain employees within golf. Its ambition is to get more women into leadership, managerial and key decision-making positions within clubs.
Daily Record
15 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scottish Golf handed James Bond boost as they team up with Sean Connery Foundation to support women's game
Sean Connery Foundation involved in major tie-up with Scottish Golf Jason Connery reckons dad Sean would be proud to see his country's female golfing starlets shoot for the top. Scottish Golf has announced a Women and Girls Strategy including major new partnership with the Sean Connery Foundation. Three long-term visions are to support Scotland's top female amateurs as they move into the professional ranks, a three-year fund which supports the employment of full or part-time staff dedicated to growing and retaining female members and a fund targeted specifically to retain female employees within the sport. Hannah Darling and Lorna McClymont are the first to be backed with the pair facing the elite this week at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. Connery's sons were in attendance at the announcement and Jason said: 'Our hope for the Scottish Golf Women's Professional Transition Programme is that it alleviates the financial stress on these young women, who are extraordinary golfers, as they transition into their professional career. 'Seeing Scots at the top of the mountain, and leaderboard, is really what we hope to see. Dad would be so proud.' Stephane, chairman of the Sean Connery Foundation, added: 'The foundation was established in 2020 to reflect Sean's passions and guiding principles. He always wanted to champion talented people who couldn't otherwise get a break, backing excellence in need. 'Sean greatly admired the women's game and he saw an injustice in how little attention it got in comparison to the men's. We've been building a partnership with Scottish Golf over the last couple of years and, in that time, it has become evident that while there is a lack of funding in the women's game, there is no lack of will or commitment. 'It made complete sense for our foundation to try and assist in that area. Both Lorna and Hannah are seriously talented. We've met them, we know them and it's important to us that they feel the people supporting them care about who they are and what they need.' Darling turned professional this week ahead of the Dundonald event and said: 'It gives me a bit of a foundation moving forward. The people behind it have identified an area where they can really help us. 'With me and Lorna being the first to receive it, it's really nice. We can start our pro careers on the front foot almost and not worried about not making enough money to play the week after. The Sean Connery Foundation are stepping into that really well and it's exciting for us all. 'We played in the pro-am with them and that's what they said. They just wanted to make sure that we were set and go focus on playing golf rather than worrying about the finance or any of the stress that comes with it. They've been awesome and really get it, which is cool. The Sean Connery Foundation have identified the women first. They have been awesome putting their finance there.' McClymont, who turned pro last year, added: 'It's huge. I think it just takes such a weight off, which definitely helps. I think having that [finance worry] off your mind, you're just able to go out and just be free because, at the end of the day, if you have stuff like that in your mind, then you're not going to be able to perform to your best. 'I mean golf in general is an expensive sport, so I think, especially for kind of younger girls looking up, if that weight can be taken off them, then absolutely, yeah, it's huge. 'It's a quite cool kind of programme to be a part of and I'm just grateful that I can be part of it, especially the first year of it as well, it's definitely going to be pretty exciting.' McClymont and Darling have been supported throughout their journey on Scottish Golf's performance pathway, representing Scotland at age-group level, on the international stage, as well as, memorably, being part of Catriona Matthew's victorious Curtis Cup team last year at Sunningdale. Matthew said: 'We all want to see more Scots competing at the top of the women's game and this programme is designed to help bridge the gap for young professionals. 'By putting in place this programme and laying down strong foundations of support, my sincere hope is that many more aspiring Scottish players will follow Hannah and Lorna and benefit in the years ahead.'
Scotsman
15 hours ago
- Scotsman
Trust issues ground Scots' confidence in airport technology
Scottish air passengers are the most cautious in the UK when it comes to airport technology, showing strong preferences for printed boarding passes and hesitancy around new technology like AI and biometrics, according to IT services firm Getronics. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The findings come from Getronics' 2025 Travel Trust Barometer, a UK wide survey that asked 2,000 people about their attitudes toward data security and technology in travel. The research found that Scots are more likely to favour physical boarding passes than people elsewhere in the UK, with 35% of Scottish passengers preferring printed passes compared to just 28% across the rest of the country. Another 23% of Scots said they use both physical and digital passes, highlighting a cautious, belt-and-braces approach to technology. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The survey also shows only 52% of Scots say they feel in control of their personal data when travelling which is the lowest level of confidence anywhere in the UK. Data security in airports The same proportion of Scots (52%) trust airports to keep their information safe, and a majority (61%) believe airports collect more personal information than necessary. Andrew Madigan, client director at Getronics, said the findings highlight a need to build greater public confidence in both airport technology and how personal data is handled. He said: 'Technology is becoming an increasingly central part of the airport experience, and that trend is only set to continue as the industry evolves. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'New technology can be a daunting prospect for all kinds of reasons. Reliability and safety are two key issues, which means airports are having to work hard to keep passengers informed and educated about how planned changes are going to make the air travel experience safer, more convenient and more enjoyable.' Andrew Madigan, client director at Getronics Getronics specialises in building resilient, industry-leading IT security systems that protect mission-critical operations, working with a range of Scottish and UK airports. Andrew added: 'We're seeing growing need to modernise whilst defend against a persistent increase in hacking attempts across the sector. 'Airports need to build that trust, particularly in Scotland, and building a strong digital infrastructure has to sit at the heart of this. 'Technology will continue to evolve, but airports must ensure that protecting personal data evolves with it.'
