Holyrood report calls for long-term thinking to fix CalMac ferry crisis

A committee of MSPs is releasing its findings today

Author: Rob WallerPublished 25th Jun 2023

A Holyrood committee is calling for CalMac to be given another 10 years to run ferry services on the west coast of Scotland to buy time for a long-term strategic look at how islands communities can be better served.

There's no sign of services returning to normal the summer while the existing ferry fleet is dogged with technical problems, and the wait continues for new ships to enter service.

A report by MSPs on the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee says island communities have found the level of churn in the role of Transport Minister unhelpful in addressing the root issues of an aging fleet, lack of resilience and a pass-the-parcel culture in governance structures.

CalMac's ageing fleet

MV Glen Sannox launch

Perhaps the most infamous ferry in Scotland, MV Glen Sannox was launched by First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, at the Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow in November 2017. The yard won the contract to build two ferries which could be powered by either regular marine diesel fuel or LNG. Five years later the ship has yet to enter service and the yard has been nationalised after falling into administration amid a row with the Scottish Government about the delays and escalating cost of the project.

MV Glen Sannox delays

MV Glen Sannox is intended to become the main ferry for the service between Ardrossan and Brodick on the Isle of Arran. A sister ship - as-yet unnamed - will operate in the Western Isles. The vessels are more than five years late and will cost £250m - more than twice their original budget. The ship has required extensive remedial work including alterations to the hull and replacement of the original electrictal cables which were found to be too short. It is expected to be in service in summer 2023.

Busiest route

CalMac's busiest route is the crossing between Largs and Cumbrae Slip in the Firth of Clyde, which in summer operates every 15 minutes, although drivers can be forced to wait in queues of more than an hour at the busiest times. In 2021 it carried 175,000 vehicles and 619,000 passengers.

Oldest vessel

CalMac's least-busy route is a summer-only service between Ardrossan and Campbeltown in Kintrye, which carried just 8,427 passengers in 2021. It is operated by the firm's oldest ship, MV Isle of Arran, which was launched in Troon in 1983.

Passengers only

CalMac operates the passenger-only service between Dunoon and Gourock. For many years the route also carried vehicles but there was long-standing controversy with claims of unfair public subsidy against a rival private operator. The service can be vulnerable to poor weather conditions relying on lighter vessels such as the catamaran Ali Cat.

Battery power

For the last decade CalMac has made the first moves to reduce the carbon emissions of its fleet with the introduction of three hybrid ferries which can operate on battery or diesel power. They were constructed at the Ferguson yard in Port Glasgow and operate some of the shortest crossings on the network

Private rival

There are ferry services which are not run by CalMac. The privately-owned Western Ferries operates between McInroy's Point (near Gourock) and Hunter's Quay (near Dunoon) on a turn-up-and-go service using up to four vessels at one time.

Foreign-built ships

Until the recent Ferguson scandal CalMac's newest and largest ships had been built by foreign yards, including the MV Finglaggan, launched by the Remontowa yard in Poland in 2010 to serve Islay.

Capacity issues

Since 2016 The introduction of the cheaper RET fares structure - linked to the cost to drive the same distance by road - and increasing popularlity of 'staycation' and campervan touring - is linked to increasing pressure on routes to the most popular islands, with sailings booked-up weeks in advance.

Contract extension

With CalMac’s contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service due to be renewed in 2024 the Committee says it would support a direct award for an extended period of 10 ten years, avoiding the need for a competitive tendering process, on condition that there are real improvements for communities.

The report also questions the current sharing of responsibility for ferry services between the Government agency, Transport Scotland, CMAL (the state-owned body which owns the ships and port infrastructure) and the operator CalMac.

It says creating one body ‘Ferries Scotland’ as part of Transport Scotland could address what it calls a ‘blame-shifting culture.’

Listening to islanders

During the inquiry, the Committee visited Arran and the Western Isles and Orkney to see and hear for themselves the experiences of islanders, many of whom have suffered the disruptive effects of unreliable services.

MSPs Edward Mountain and Liam Kerr visited Arran as part of the committee inquiry

Speaking as the report was published, Committee Convener, Edward Mountain MSP, said; “As our report shows, a frequent change in transport ministers means problems are not being solved.

“Having worked with Fiona Hyslop on this report as Deputy Convener of the Committee, we know she has experience of the issues covered and wish her well in her new role.

“On this occasion, to ensure continuity and avoid disruption we are supportive of a direct award of the ferry contract to CalMac but we stress that this is wholly dependent upon significant service improvements being delivered and a change to the tripartite arrangement.”

Fresh thinking on ferry routes

Other points made in the report include a call for better information on cancellations and delays.

Following on from orders for four new vessels placed with a shipyard in Turkey the committee suggests designs for future ships should be standardised to achieve best value and construction.

It also raises the question of whether some of the islands served by CalMac’s largest ships would get a better service with a larger number of smaller vessels running more frequent crossings.

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