[15] Letting the yard go and losing two ferries was "not an option considered" by the Scottish Government. We need a public inquiry now. The former owners hoped workers would be kept on during the change of ownership, but within hours of administration most were made redundant. The Scottish Conservative leader revealed that redacted sections of a document could be read through the use of copy and paste, announcing the details in front of MSPs at First Ministers Questions. It found there was insufficient documentary evidence to explain why Scottish ministers accepted the risks in the face of CMALs warnings. The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Out of the six shipyards that tendered to build the ferries, Ferguson Marine put forward the most expensive bid, at 37 million more than the cheapest. Government-owned ferries agency CMAL defended the procurement and said a 2018 audit found "no adverse issues". The risk of a challenge materialising depends on the likelihood of any of the 5 other shipyards receiving confidential information and on the appetite of those competitors for a challenge.. ", "Anger as short cables place new doubt over delivery of lifeline CalMac vessels", "Further threat ferry fiasco ships may never be delivered as cost to taxpayer soars by nearly 100m", "Experts fear for delayed CalMac ferries' unused engines with risk of failure after years left idle", "Ferguson's went bust with debts of more than 70 million - with 50m owed to taxpayers", "SNP ministers nationalise Clyde shipyard", "SNP paid 49m to build stricken Ferguson Marine ferries from Covid business support department", "Jim McColl: Nicola Sturgeon accused of lying while tycoon admits own 'mistake', "SNP Ferries Fiasco has taken another nasty turn", "Island ferries chaos is 'critical', MSPs told", "CalMac hit with 3.5 million performance-related fines", "Ferry bosses call in cops to deal with 'aggressive customers' as Scots routes disrupted", "Ferguson Marine ferries for CalMac delayed by another eight months to 2023", "Ferguson Marine says 802 ferry to be delayed again as chief predicts final cost of 'ferries fiasco', "Scottish ferries contract hit by fresh delay", "Islanders' anger over harbours unable to take delayed ferries", "Inquiry into construction and procurement of ferry vessels in Scotland", "Damning Holyrood report brands CalMac ferry fiasco a 'catastrophic failure', "Ship of state is veering wildly off course in bid to secure island links", "Multiple failings have led to delays and cost overruns which continue to obstruct delivery of island ferries", "Auditor General expresses 'frustration' at lack of documents on ferry scandal", "New Vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides: Arrangements to deliver vessels 801 and 802", "Jim Sillars lodges police complaint over ministers' ferry fiasco 'missing documents', "New call for criminal probe over 'rigged' Scots ferry fiasco contract", "Jenny Gilruth produces email that claims Derek Mackay approved ferry fiasco contract", "John Swinney - I only gave budget approval in ferry deal", "John Swinney: Public inquiry into ferries scandal can be considered in 'due time', "Derek Mackay on holiday when ferries deal signed puts new pressure on Sturgeon", "Ferries contract decision 'remains unexplained', "Nicola Sturgeon: Buck stops with me over ferry contract row", "Plans for sweeping changes to how ferries are run", "Cost to taxpayer of Scotland's ferry fiasco soars to nearly 340m", "Nicola Sturgeon to give evidence on ferry fiasco", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ferry_fiasco&oldid=1117951289, This page was last edited on 24 October 2022, at 11:54. [38], In a written response to the Public Audit Committee Mackay said that he had "confidence" in the recommendation, and that there was expectation the contract would receive "sufficient monitoring and oversight". Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton set out a series of key demands for the First Minister to commit to for when she addresses the committee on Friday and in the months ahead. Shipbuilding is an emotive issue, and the deal allowed Alex Salmond to promise "the reindustrialisation of Scotland" during the campaign. England and Wales company registration number 2008885, Paris vs. Berlin: a continent divided over energy, Lawyer becomes Britains first black female blind barrister, Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 3 November 2022, Rocking the boat: the disgrace of P&O Ferries. Campaign Pack: Scottish Ferry Fiasco. Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to commit to resignations of her government ministers if the ferry fiasco continues.. [9], Steel was cut on the on 7 April 2016 and the MV Glen Sannox was launched in November 2017 by first minister Nicola Sturgeon[10] and supposed to be in service by mid-2018. A leaked email from early July reveals that the head of vessels at its procurement agency CMAL believed such a timetable would be "hugely challenging". But opposition parties have called for an inquiry into the scandal due to the millions of pounds and time wasted due to Ferguson Marine winning the contract. It has been revealed that CalMac, CMAL and Transport Scotland all collaborated to avoid answering questions about the Ferguson Marine scandal. "A lack of transparent decision-making, a lack of project oversight, and no clear understanding of what significant sums of public money have achieved. CalMac blames its ageing fleet: its ships are, on average, 24 years old; many of its biggest are more than 30. The Ferguson shipyard had been struggling for a decade as it was undercut by overseas shipbuilders, particularly in Eastern Europe. Both the Glen Sannox and Hull 802 are millions of pounds over budget and more than five years late due to problems with the Port Glasgow yard, which included the business going into administration. Many commentators argue that the island communities would anyway be better served by a larger number of smaller, cheaper, more efficient vessels, such as the catamarans used for years by the unsubsidised privately-run Pentland Ferries for their service to and from Orkney Islands (CalMac receives a subsidy of 120m-150m in a normal year). New ferries contract worth 115m to be awarded by end of the year, transport minister announces The Scotsman Contracts for two new ferries will be signed by the end of the year under government plans to speed up the delivery of lifeline ferry services for islanders. As well as assessing shipyards' capabilities, it set out the requirement - written in red capital letters - for evidence confirming the yard could provide a Builder's Refund Guarantee, which protects any advance payments issued by the buyer. But it was, in fact, far from finished: the bridge had painted-on fake windows; most of the internal outfitting had not been completed; and, soon after, its bulbous bow was found to be defective, and had to be replaced. It also stated that it did not believe a parent company guarantee was appropriate. In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Parliament decided, independently of. A NEW fault with one of the ferries at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco could see it lose its green credentials. Ten things we learned about Scotland's ferry fiasco bbc.com 5 Like Comment Share Copy; LinkedIn; Facebook; Twitter; To view or add a comment, . The BBC Scotland documentary disclosed new details which suggested that the procurement process for the Glen Sannox and Hull 802 had been rigged. The majority of its 351-page technical submission was cut and pasted from the CalMac document - including the font, numbering and minor errors or typos. He said this "whetted our appetite" but it was too "messy" to buy the yard at this stage as there were problems, such as debts, which administrators would need to clear up. The document added: The impact of a successful legal challenge could be high in the worst case the contract could be declared ineffective and a challenge could be brought at any time as the contract terms are not being made public. Ferguson was also allowed to significantly change its design halfway through the tender by developing a variant mentioned but discounted in its original submission. 2022 BBC. Opposition parties argue the Ferguson's fiasco is just one of a series of troubled deals by the Scottish National party government that have put hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers'. Ferguson emerged with 36.5 points out of 50 in the cost assessment - in last place but with a deficit sufficiently small to be overturned by an exceptional score for quality. The unfinished Glen Sannox ferry seen at Ferguson Marine shipyard on 1 April in Port Glasgow, Scotland. Legal action warning over 'rigged' CalMac ferries fiasco A Polish shipbuilding firm which lost out on a 97 million Scottish Government ferry contract has said its legal team is considering. Audit Scotland said on Wednesday evening that they were still concerned that there was not sufficient documentary evidence around why ministers accepted the risks associated with the changed contract. Hull 801 and Hull 802, as they were known, were expected to be delivered in mid-2018. Travel time is around 12 hours direct, and just over 14 hours via Orkney. THE ferry fiasco has cost Scotland's taxpayers more than 240m, with no new ships to show for it. Nationalised Ferguson Marine has confirmed that further issues with Glen Sannox means it will not initially run on LNG. The Scottish government gave the go-ahead for the procurement of two new large CalMac ferries in the summer of 2014, with the original plan to name the preferred bidder by end of March 2015. CalMac's review warned that all the shortlisted ship designs were underdeveloped, and that major issues would need to be resolved to "avoid costly variations and delays during design and build of the new ships". Instead a tourist season's ruined in the former and the threat of closure looms over the latter. Now, it looks as though Hull 802 may not even be used for the original route it was promised to serve, as CalMac . [41], Following the BBC's disclosure of documents suggesting that the Ferguson Marine had benefited from preferential treatment in the procurement process, John Swinney told the Scottish Parliament on 27 September 2022 that Audit Scotland would again investigate the issue. [39] Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament, the "buck stops with me", claiming "lessons will be learned". In Depth Scotland's ongoing ferry fiasco: what you need to know Delays in the delivery of two new CalMac passenger ferries have caused a major political scandal The Week Staff 13 May 2022. The document states that the absence of a full refund guarantee the central criticism of the contract by Audit Scotland could represent a considerable departure from the original terms of the contract. Ferguson's is now notorious in Scotland as the scene of a debacle - the 'ferry fiasco'. [34], Just before a Parliamentary debate on the contract, Jenny Gilruth, Scotland's junior transport minister, produced an email to show that the contract was ultimately approved by Derek Mackay, a previous junior transport minister. The unseemly scramble this week by the various Scottish ministers involved in the Ferguson fiasco to duck responsibility speaks volumes. The First Minister was urged to cut her Scexit fund to help fill in the budget gap left by them taking money away from student mental health services. On an average day, its 34 vessels complete 446 crossings, ranging from five minutes (to the Isle of Bute) to seven hours (Oban to Barra). The policeman who tried to stem Seoul Halloween crush, Aboriginal boy's killing puts spotlight on racism, Billions being spent in metaverse land grab. [40], In September 2022, Transport Scotland published a report by consultants Ernst and Young called Project Neptune which concluded that having multiple state agencies involved in the procurement process led to confusion over roles and responsibilities. John Swinney stated that no decision would be made to release more public money towards the cost of completing the ferries until "due diligence" was carried out by the Scottish Government on the company, supported by external, independent financial advisors. A year later, the Ferguson yard received a major boost when it won a 97m contract from the SNP government to build the two new ships CalMac needed (and still needs) to replace two ageing ferries: the first to serve the Isle of Arran route, the second, the Uig triangle of Skye, North Uist and Harris. The gap was narrowed further by adding in estimates of extra costs such as site supervision. As part of the evaluation, CalMac was invited to comment on how well the three shortlisted designs met its requirements, before CMAL scored them. John Sturrock QC: CalMac ferries fiasco - what mediation could have achieved. Scottish islanders consider running own ferry service . Read about our approach to external linking. This change allowed it to reduce its price by nearly 10 million. Please register or log in to comment on this article. [3], The source of the scandal starts in the summer of 2014 when the last shipyard on the lower clyde, Ferguson Marine Ltd went into administration. [36][37] Keith Brown the then Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, signed the contract on behalf of the Scottish Government, but he also denied responsibility claiming to sign in lieu of Mackay who was on holiday at the time. The great ferry scandal https://lnkd.in/daD2TeXM. Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) have an effective monopoly over ferry services to Scotland's numerous islands, which are homes to approximately 45,000 people. The "quality" assessment began with a consultant naval architect being asked to compare and comment on the competing designs. [33] This call was later supported by the Scottish Conservatives transport minister Graham Simpson. It adds that it may raise significant procurement risks and warned a successful legal challenge could be high and potentially see the contract declared ineffective. One state-owned company, CalMac Caledonian MacBrayne has an effective monopoly on the Clyde and Hebrides network, providing lifeline services to 22 of the bigger islands. The ferry fiasco is an ongoing Scottish political scandal relating to the construction of two ferries (Hull 801 and Hull 802) by the Ferguson Marine Ltd, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of a public infrastructure authority, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government, headed at the time by First Minister Nicola . Liquefied Natural Gas needs to be stored at -162C and the required tanks and bow thrusters meant each ferry being 200 tonnes heavier than an equivalent vessel. This could have led to it being discounted - a rival design with a smaller power requirement was eliminated for this very reason. Island communities have been left to go whistle, amid an absence of accountability. A POLISH shipyard is considering a multi-million court challenge over claims a Scottish Government ferries contract was rigged. Further threat ferry fiasco ships may never be delivered as cost to taxpayer soars by nearly 100m NEW concerns have emerged over whether vessels at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco. It initially filled in the PQQ questionnaire saying only that it would "endeavour to comply with your request". Details of the further delays has come as ministers refused to commit to a police. All rights reserved. Never miss the latest top headlines from the Scottish Daily Express. Law360, London (January 12, 2022, 5:31 PM GMT) -- An insurance company asked a London court on Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a Scottish ferry service seeking . Readers' letters: Driving tests backlog, Princess of Wales's speech about addiction and the impacts of ferries fiasco. FERRY FIASCO: Nicola Sturgeon dodges Douglas Ross' questions about accepting ferries responsibility No views Sep 29, 2022 0 Dislike Share Save The Scottish Sun 5.47K subscribers At FMQs,. The ongoing CalMac ferries fiasco will cost the Scottish Government 1.5BILLION to sort out according to a bombshell document reportedly leaked to a journalist. When this was queried, it said it was having discussions with the Scottish government regarding "bonding for ship contracts in general" and that the issue will "hopefully be sorted". Despite this warning, this timetable was adopted, giving ferry operator CalMac just three weeks to draw up its Specification of Technical and Operational Requirements. The SNP ferries fiasco has taken another nasty turn - The Spectator. [43], It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "IN DEPTH Scotland's ongoing ferry fiasco: what you need to know", "The problem with CalMac's ageing ferries", "Ferry figures show the Scottish government is sailing in troubled water", "Jim McColl's Ferguson shipyard wins 97m CalMac ferries deal", "Ten things we learned about Scotland's ferry fiasco", "Scotland's ferry fiasco: What went wrong? Ferry fiasco: Slipway slips continue 23 March PA Media A launch ceremony for the MV Glen Sannox was held in November 2017 - but four years later it is still not finished By Douglas Fraser. Nicola Sturgeon warned her ministers should resign if there is further chaos over botched ferries. Exclusive: New figures revealed by the Scottish Conservatives highlighted that the number of school pupils missing half their education had rose by 34 per cent in two years. [30] Audit Scotland also found "insufficient evidence to explain why Scottish Ministers made this decision" to award the contract to Ferguson Marine. News quiz: What was Erling Haaland blamed for this week? Emails seen by the BBC show that CMAL's assessors clearly knew the identity of the shipyards they were scoring. These guarantees would make the shipbuilder responsible for any cost overruns. By Lucia Osborne-Crowley. A new secrecy storm has broken out surrounding the Scottish Government's handling of the ferry fiasco and in particular the bombshell BBC Scotland documentary about the situation. Attempts to interview Erik Ostergaard, chairman of David MacBrayne Ltd, were also rejected, with Robbie Drummond, managing director at CalMac, saying in emails to his fellow directors that there is nothing in it for us if he is interviewed. SCOTS ministers are coming under pressure to give a contract to build two new Scots ferries to its own shipyard which is at the centre of the nation's vessel-building fiasco. .. Ferguson, in turn, accuses CMAL of interfering in its work, and moving the goalposts on specifications. However, Scotland's Auditor General has been asked to investigate. In addition to major delays and cost overruns, the main contractor Ferguson Marine was nationalised. The scoring formula allocated points based on the difference between a shipyard's price and that of the cheapest, so Ferguson would have scored very poorly. The Baby Box is one of the many transformative policies that @theSNP has implemented. A great deal. The BBC understands Ferguson obtained it from design consultants who had also worked on preparing the original tender documents for CMAL. Equal to about 60 million which is totally off the track for what is normal practise for the shipping industry". But in recent years, its network has been plagued with cancellations and disruptions. She promised a full review but stopped short of a public inquiry. Three months before launch the bulbous bow as rejected by an inspector from Lloyd's Register, and would need to be "renewed in entirety". Work starts on new CalMac ferries in Turkey but will they be ready before Ferguson Marine vessels? The ongoing fiasco with CalMac ferry services is the result of years of mismanagement from the SNP. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Inverclyde SNP MP Ronnie Cowan described this decision as "just reward" for the investment McColl had made in Ferguson Marine. Within a year, CMAL was reporting serious technical and quality concerns. The deadline for bids was 31 March 2015, and they were to be assessed 50% on cost and 50% on quality. Scottish ministers nationalised 118-year-old Ferguson Marine after it ran into difficulties building two ferries for CalMac, a state-owned operator that runs services between the Scottish mainland and surrounding islands. The retro games consoles that could net you a packet on online: does your old favourite make the list? The previous Ferguson Marine owner, tycoon Jim. Nationalised Ferguson Marine has confirmed that further issues with Glen . Another requirement was that the ferries would need larger bow thrusters and a stern thruster to make them more manoeuvrable in dock. Defending the decision, Nicola Sturgeon said that governments receive legal advice regularly about projects and contracts and labelled Mr Ross desperate. Catastrophes are piling up one after the other for SNP government Ministers who are now facing a 5 million claim in a dispute over a secret deal that paved the way to the nationalisation of the Clyde shipyard at the centre of Scotland's ferry building fiasco. The finance minister John Swinney gleefully told the Scottish Parliament that the 12 CalMac ferries that were in operation at the time would be replaced, at a cost of just 250m, over the next decade. Ferguson had a big advantage because it had access to the original SOTR. "It is increasingly clear that a public inquiry will be inevitable to get to the bottom of what has gone wrong here as we are still left asking basic questions with no answers., Scottish ministers failure to provide full disclosure or initiate a public inquiry makes it look like they and their agencies have something to hide., A CalMac spokesperson said: The Disclosure Scotland programme raised a number of serious questions and the emails quoted were sent three weeks prior to the programme being broadcast and the details contained within the programme being known.. Ferries are a major issue in the west of Scotland. And the taxpayer is footing the bill. [13], A further issue is that the engines bought for the vessels had been sat idle for six years, and Dr Spyros Hirdaris, a professor of maritime safety from Helisinki where the engine manufacturer Wartsila is based, stated that there was a "high possibility that the ferry engines won't work". VideoJeremy Bowen on reporting from Ukraine's frontline, Imran Khan survives deadly Pakistan rally shooting, The conspiracy theorists who could run US elections, Why the latest UN climate conference matters. The Scotsman reported that CMAL had privately dismissed approaches for interviews while publicly saying there was "no evidence" to support the rigging allegation. [8], By the end of September 2022, the cost estimates from Ferguson Marine to put both ferries into service had risen by another 100 million to a total of 340 million. The Auditor General, Stephen Boyle, described his "frustration" at not being able to review all the documentation relating to the awarding of the contract for the two ferries. It later fell to 97m. The American author shared a passage from her new book which she is currently in the midst of penning. While clarification questions are a normal part of tender evaluation, for other yards they consisted of a simple list of numbered questions. CMAL allowed Ferguson to go ahead with its bid despite not presenting evidence of a builders refund guarantee. [23] Its unnamed sister ship, Hull 802, was expected to be delivered between October and December 2023, however further delays meant that as of September 2022, the ship is not expected to be delivered until the first quarter of 2024. At standard industry prices, that should have been enough to replace much of CalMacs fleet. In the meantime, CalMac has been scouring the world for second-hand ferries. One classic mobile phone has an average eBay selling price of 1,776.01 here's a list of second-hand phones fetching the highest average prices at online auction and you might even have one lying around for a little Christmas boost. Read about our approach to external linking. Usually, cost overruns would be covered by the manufacturer: one of the main requirements for the CalMac contract was a builders refund guarantee, giving full protection for the buyer. Jim McColl believes the ferries will cost at least 300m and ferry expert Roy Pederson says it would be better to scrap them and start again. On this basis CMAL's finance director approved Fergusons' progression to the shortlist. Brian Wilson: Islanders have been betrayed by ferries fiasco but so have the workers of Port Glasgow The Herald - Brian Wilson 3h THROUGHOUT the Ferguson shipyard debacle, Nicola Sturgeon has clung to the defence that it was all done with best intentions to "save shipbuilding on Read more on heraldscotland.com Scottish Politics UK Politics At the start of June the assessors invited Ferguson's managing director and chief naval architect to a "strictly confidential" face-to-face meeting at the shipyard to discuss "clarifications and perceived inconsistencies" in their submission. But when asked about this, all three bodies refused to offer up anyone for interview and also contacted each other to make sure they were on the same page. The Scottish Government has battled accusations of incompetence concerning the whole issue, but now allegations of potential criminality are raised. The Scottish Liberal Democrats made the call along with several other demands as the First Minister is set to face MSPs probing the controversial Ferguson Marine ferry deal on Friday.. MSPs on Holyrood's Public Audit Committee say they are keen to "get to the bottom of what . Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of CMAL, told CalMac and the Scottish Government that two sources were approached by BBC journalist Mark Daly. Ferguson's initial design submission was based on Model 20 but on 17 May, CMAL's assessors asked Ferguson to give it more details of Model 10 - then scored it on this revised design.
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