The construction of two new lifeline ferries for Islay is officially underway six months after the £105m contract was controversially given to a Turkish shipyard.
A steel-cutting ceremony took place at Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Turkey, where the two vessels are being built for state-controlled ferry owners Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL).
CMAL says that the new 310-foot vehicle passenger ferries will each have capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 commercial vehicles, providing a combined 40% increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes and "improving the overall resilience" of the wider fleet.
They say carbon reduction has been a "key factor" in vessel design and the new ferries are expected to deliver a "significant reduction in emissions".
The first vessel is expected to be delivered by October 2024 and will enter service following sea trials and crew familiarisation. The second vessel will follow in early 2025.
In the six months since contract award, design and planning work has been completed.
CMAL says preparatory work has also taken place - including ordering equipment and fabrication materials and finalising the structural design of the main hull.
Scottish Government-controlled Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), which owns the nation's ageing ferry fleet, had invited four overseas companies to bid for the contract to build the two vessels - and excluded Inverclyde shipbuilder Ferguson Marine.
The shipbuilder which runs the last remaining shipyard on the lower Clyde was nationalised after it financially collapsed in August 2019, amid soaring costs and delays to the construction of two lifeline island ferries.
It came five years after tycoon Jim McColl first rescued the yard when it went bust.
The new ferry announcement comes as the delivery of new island ferries MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802, which were due online in the first half of 2018, is at least five years late, with costs soaring from £97m to nearly £350m.
The award was described by Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson as "an embarrassment for the SNP".
It was confirmed that Ferguson Marine embarked in a bid for the contract through the initial Pre-Qualification Questionnaire vetting process but failed to get to the tender stage.
The successful initial bids were from Damen Shipyard in Romania, Remontowa Shipbuilding in Poland, and Turkish shipyards Sefine Denizcilik Tersanecilik Turizm, and Cemre Marin Endustri.
The four shortlisted shipyards went on to submit technical and commercial proposals for the design and construction of the two vessels before a decision was made on the contract.
CMAL said that each submission was to rigorously assessed against "quality, technical and commercial criteria".
The Islay route is already one of the busiest services for freight on the Clyde and Hebrides network, and CMAL said that the incoming ferries will support the island’s vital economic activity.
Kevin Hobbs, chief executive at CMAL said: “This initial stage of the build will see the construction of the first blocks being carried out under cover, before being relocated to the slipway to be assembled in a process called keel laying.
An artist's impression of the interior of one of the new ferries.
“Work at the shipyard is progressing well; the team at Cemre is delivering each stage within the agreed timeline. I’m sure this will be welcome news for island communities to see the build programme get underway for these much-needed vessels.”
The Islay vessels form part of a 10-year programme of investment by CMAL, backed by £580 million from the Scottish Government for five years from 2021 to 2026. Plans will deliver 21 new vessels for the fleet and multi-million-pound upgrade of harbour infrastructure over the next decade.
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