THE CHAIRMAN of the beleaguered state-owned shipyard company at the centre of Scotland's ferry-building fiasco has stepped down.
Current chairman Alistair Mackenzie and board member John Hudson are both stepping down from their roles at Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) for personal reasons.
Ferguson Marine said their roles are being advertised along with an additional non-executive director position to "strengthen the board’s commercial and legal expertise".
Appointed by ministers after the Scottish Government took control at the end of 2019 it was said they and the rest of the board would "bring a wealth of diverse and extensive experience to the business".
They were appointed after the recruitment of controversial £793,000-a-year turnaround director Tim Hair after the shipyard went into administration and who announced he was standing down at the end of last year.
READ MORE: Scots lifeline ferry delivery face more delay despite overseas worker recruits
Mr Hair is to be replaced by a new chief executive David Tydeman, who has worked for several decades in the marine, shipbuilding and offshore industries.
Mr Mackenzie and Mr Hudson were appointed in June 2020 as part of the first board of directors after the shipyard was taken into public ownership. They will leave in April 2022.
Mr Mackenzie was introduced by the Scottish Government-owned company as a "master mariner and an experienced executive and non-executive director".
It comes as it emerged delivery dates for two lifeline ferries being built at the Ferguson shipyard are expected to fall further behind schedule - despite moves to recruit workers from overseas.
Technical issues with both vessels and the progression of the Omicron variant have been citied as major issues for Ferguson Marine in meeting the very latest schedules.
The delayed arrival of the first ship for CalMac Glen Sannox which was due to serve on one of Scotland's busiest crossing, the Ardrossan to Arran service was to be handed over between July and September this year - four years later than expected.
The second ship, currently known as Hull 802, was to be delivered between April and July 2023 - five years later than scheduled - and enter service on the the Uig on the Isle of Skye to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist.
The nationalised shipyard said further delays last year were down to Covid and a shortage of local skilled labour.
But Mr Hair in a final update before leaving his post on February 11 has warned of further issues that will hit the ships' delivery.
Mr Mackenzie said: “I have decided for personal reasons that now is the right time to stand down. I have been proud to serve on the board of Ferguson Marine, supporting the business during a highly challenging period as it recovered from administration and through a transformation programme. Working with the wider board and senior management team, significant progress has been made to improve governance, processes and systems and to strengthen the workforce.
“I would like to thank John Hudson as he departs, as well as the wider board and shipyard workforce, for their commitment and support during the last 18 months. With the arrival of a new chief executive, and three new board members in the coming months, I am sure the shipyard will continue to strengthen.”
The closing date for applications to the board is February 14, 2022 and successful candidates will join the board from May 2022.
Ferguson Marine was nationalised in August 2019 following its collapse into administration after its ferry-building endeavours were dogged by delays and overspends.
It had been contracted to deliver two vessels for CalMac for £97m, with an initial completion date set for 2018.
But the cost of the vessels, referred to as 801 and 802, has doubled to over £200m.
In a damning report in December 2020, MSPs on Holyrood’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee said the procurement of the boats from the Ferguson Marine yard was “a catastrophic failure”.
The committee inquiry found that the procurement process was “not fit for purpose”.
The Scottish government also lost £45m in loans that it sunk into the previous company.
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