How the Scotland Ferries fiasco became a national scandal

The stunning scenery of Aran Island belies the fact that the island has been the victim of a national scandal for nearly a decade.

Two new ferries were ordered in 2015 to replace a fleet of broken down vessels that had been in service Scottish For 40 years, every day on a remote island. Construction began eight years ago.

The elephant in the room is that they haven’t carried any passengers so far. not one.

A botched design process plagued the original 2018 delivery date and left the shipyard in management trouble.

It was bought by the Scottish Government, which has been plagued by cost overruns ever since.

The original contract, which has been accused of fraud, was supposed to cost £97m, but poor management and a series of mistakes, including the installation of the wrong cables throughout the ship, meant the final cost could rob public funds of £400m.

The cash cow project has been described as one of the biggest procurement disasters in Scotland’s devolution history.

Islanders fear their aging ferries will break down or be unable to cope with recurring bad weather.

‘We’ve been worried about ferries our whole lives’

Pensioners Ena Burke and Raymond Burke have lived in Arran for almost 40 years.

Raymond, 78, was battling an aggressive form of cancer and had to go to hospital in Glasgow for specialist treatment.

The couple told Sky News that unreliable service meant they were forced to leave the island four days before each appointment to avoid problems.

Einar believes “continued concerns” about the ferry are making Raymond’s health worse.

She told Sky News: “When you live on an island, ferries rule your life. It puts a huge amount of pressure on us.

“You find yourself sitting there crying, thinking I can’t go through this anymore. I can’t face this journey. I can’t face the fact that I don’t know if the ship will sail.

“Our whole life is worrying about the ferry.”

‘We are counting the financial and emotional cost’

David Henderson has been a farmer in Arran for 49 years.

He was in the midst of lambing season and complained that delays on the new ferry had left him stranded.

He said: “When we try to bring cattle to market [on the mainland]you’re always worried about whether the ferry is going to sail.

“This is an ongoing topic. We are using a 40-year-old boat and they are not reliable enough.

“If we had gotten the new ships when they were supposed to be coming, hopefully they would have been a better ship. We are counting the cost, both financially and mentally.”

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly defended the decision to take the shipyard into public ownership, insisting it would save jobs and protect the Clydeside shipbuilding industry from destruction.

But the ferry incident continues to haunt single nucleotide polymorphism Many years in politics.

The second of the two burning ferries, the MV Glen Rosa, was launched for the first time in recent days but may not enter service until late 2025.

Scottish Government Minister Maire McCarron was questioned by Sky News at a press conference on Tuesday.

She said: “There is no doubt that these projects have encountered some difficulties and legacy challenges. The launch of Glen Rosa is an important part of our plan to deliver six new ferries by 2026.

“I understand the challenges of cyber resilience, but nonetheless we celebrate this majestic ship with the staff and community of Flugson Shipyard.”

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Meanwhile, the head of a Scottish government ferry company told Sky News he would not quit despite the price tag rising to four times the original cost.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) owns the ferries, ports and harbours, and is responsible for the procurement of new vessels.

Ferry chief admits: ‘We’re exactly where we are’

Managing director Kevin Hobbs told Sky News: “This is not the best procurement the company has ever been involved in. However, where we are now, the main focus now is to get these two ferries Put into use.”

Asked whether he should consider his position given his role in the disaster, he said: “No, I don’t think so. This contract was signed before I started. I inherit Got it.”

The Scottish Government has ordered four more ferries to replace other aging vessels. They are being built in Türkiye and delivered on time and on budget.

The question is whether the long-term victims of this chaos will be the future of the once world-renowned Scottish shipyard.

Will this be the final nail in the shipyard’s coffin, regardless of the hard work of its innocent employees? A shipyard that has become synonymous with expensive, yet-to-be-delivered ships and, crucially, has no more orders on its books?