Ferguson Marine admits possible further delays to two new ferries
The vessels are already set to be five years late and tens of millions of pounds over budget
It has emerged there could be yet more delays to two new ferries being built at Ferguson Marine.
The Glen Sannox, due to serve Arran, and the as-yet unnamed hull 802 are currently due to be completed by the Port Glasgow shipyard next year - five years late and at potentially two-and-a-half times the initial cost.
But an update sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on Wednesday from CEO, David Tydeman, said the date for handover for 802 will be pushed back again from December next year to the first quarter of 2024, while the Glen Sannox may be subject to "one to two months of slippage".
Calls for a public inquiry
The news has led to further calls for a full public enquiry into the awarding of the contract for the ferries to Ferguson Marine, with Scottish Tory Shadow Transport Secretary Graham Simpson urging the Scottish Government to “come clean” on the fiasco.
Speaking to Tay FM News he said: “These further delays just add insult to injury for islanders, they’re not acceptable.
“It’s clear that ferries 801 and 802 are going to take even longer than they already were, and the cost is going to go up.
“This is a terrible situation, and if the First Minister doesn’t think what’s happened here is a scandal then she’s alone, because you only have to ask people who live on our islands what they think.”
"No evidence of criminality" in awarding of ferry contract
Nicola Sturgeon meanwhile has said she has not seen any evidence of criminality in the procurement and construction of the ferries, but insisted coming to that conclusion was "not my job".
This week, new allegations have surfaced that the yard had sight of a more than 400-page report setting out the technical requirements for the vessels before it was awarded the contract.
According to the BBC, it was given to the yard by a design consultant, something that its former owner, Jim McColl, said would have put them in a "very strong position" to win the contract over the five other bidders.
Large parts of the document had been copied verbatim into the Ferguson Marine bid, the report stated.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) rejected claims there had been "preferential treatment" offered to Ferguson Marine given the body's board voiced its strong opposition to the yard being awarded the contract over the lack of a builder's refund guarantee.
The auditor general, Stephen Boyle, announced on Wednesday he would look into the procurement process, with the full support of Scotland's top civil servant, John Paul Marks.