Promised new inter-island ferries for the Western Isles have been left out of a tender
announcement this week for a fleet of modern small CalMac ships.
Previous calls to include replacements for MV Loch Portain and MV Loch Alainn in
the current programme stream were rejected losing the opportunity to introduce new-build
vessels on the internal island links from 2026
Instead, a tender to build three new vessels instead of the present two ships on Sound of Barra service and the Sound of Harris link will be undertaken separately with the result the ferries are not expected to be in operation until around 2030.
CMAL say the thinking for a second phase is to build a trio of identical ferries specially designed for the Western Isles allowing them to swapped around as required. Design work has commenced but funding has yet to be confirmed.
Sailing disruptions between Berneray and Leverburgh persisted at critical levels last autumn when the Loch Portain suffered prolonged engine problems.
Regular backlogs of stranded traffic built up between Uist and Harris, requiring the assistance of MV Alfred.
Years ahead in the queue to renew CalMac’s small vessel fleet are seven short routes.
Tender documents are being sent to six shipyards inviting them to bid to be the sole yard for the £175 million first phase contract.
Ferguson Marine intends to submit a bid as does Cammell Laird of Merseyside. Also in the race is Cemre Marin, the Turkey yard which is currently constructing four new ships for CalMac. Other bidders are based in Chile, Poland, as well as the Damen group which has sites in the Netherlands and Eastern Europe.
Connectivity minister Jim Fairlie said: “The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving our ferry fleet to better meet the needs of island communities, so I’m very pleased to see the second stage of procurement process for seven new small vessels get underway today.
“Our intention is that these ferries would be deployed on seven existing routes, but would also bring benefits to two other routes from the redeployment of existing vessels.
“The new vessels will also be electric, helping us to deliver a significant improvement in emissions and local air quality and taking us towards a lower carbon ferry network.
“This procurement is a vital step forward in our plans to improve our ferry services and I look forward to following its progress closely over the coming months.”
Kevin Hobbs, Chief Executive at CMAL, said: “We received interest from many shipyards across the world, and carried out a robust assessment against set criteria, including their suitability to take on this project.
“We look forward to reviewing the tender documents in the new year, and delivering the electric vessels which will continue our rejuvenation of the fleet and shore infrastructure for island communities.”
Latest tender for new CalMac ferries exclude Western Isles inter-
25 October 2024
