SCOTTISH Government-owned ship and harbour owner Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited spent nearly £5000 to send two key figures to a ferry conference cruise 'junket' on the Med in the midst of the nation's ferry fiasco.
Both CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs and its director of vessels Jim Anderson have come under fire for going ahead with the three day trip to Barcelona from April 24 despite criticism.
The Shippax Ferry Conference was on board the luxury liner Cruise Barcelona, one of the largest of its kind that cross the Mediterranean Sea and a flagship of the Naples-based shipping firm Grimaldi Lines.
While prices for delegates to the conference included a return trip on the cruise ship "sailing between Barcelona to Civitavecchia" [a region of Rome] - publicly funded CMAL insisted that it was not a cruise, saying it was "no different to any conference that is held ashore".
It has emerged that some £3277.72 was spent on all food, drinks and accommodation over the two nights on board Cruise Barcelona.
A further £738.27 was spent on accommodation for one of the attendees on the evening before the conference and a night for both the evening after.
READ MORE: Glasgow School of Art: Concern for future of iconic Mackintosh plan
Flights both cost a further £627.49, while taxi transfers and breakfast before the return flight cost another £100.
It also comes as CMAL awarded over £220m in contracts to build four ferries to Turkish shipyard firm Cemre Marin Endustri - who were one of the 50 paid-for sponsors and exhibitors. They were 'night cap' sponsors.
Former justice secretary now East Lothian MP and Alba Party deputy leader Kenny MacAskill who lodged a complaint over plans to attend the event with the transport minister said: "It’s a scandal - a glorified booze cruise for corporates."
He was concerned that with Ferguson Marine absent - CMAL would be using taxpayers' money to buy ships from abroad with the conference "awash with foreign yard operators."
It comes amidst a series of breakdowns of ferries owned by CMAL and operated by Scottish Government-owned CalMac while two long-delayed lifeline vessels being built by sister shipyard firm Ferguson Marine remain incomplete with costs quadrupling.
The previous Ferguson Marine owner, tycoon Jim McColl, who rescued the yard when it went bust in 2014, blamed repeated design changes by CMAL which owns and procures ferries for the issues in building the vessels for operator CalMac, which is also publicly-owned. CMAL have blamed the shipyard firm.
The conference brought together between 450 and 500 delegates from more than 200 companies and between 50 and 60 ferry operators and promotional material states that it is a "guaranteed entertaining and fun event you will remember for a long time!"
Jim Anderson was to speak about the fleet renewal programme, while Mr Hobbs was due to take part in a panel debate on short-range operators.
In February 2021, the Scottish Government published its Investment in Infrastructure Plan, which committed £580m to Scottish ferry infrastructure between 2021/22 and 2025/26 and was welcomed by CMAL which procures the vessels.
The Scottish Government confirmed in October that additional funding of up to £115m would be made available to CMAL to accelerate plans to replace ferries and associated minor port improvements.
CMAL attended what was the 20th anniversary of the conference which was to feature "professional and well-renowned speakers and experts, captivating debates and interactions, unbeatable networking, world class organisation and service and value for money".
With a capacity of more than 2,500 passengers, the floating hotel which hosted the conference featured 411 air conditioned en-suite cabins and 70 luxury suites alongside a choice of restaurants and bars, a swimming pool and casino.
Prices for delegates to the conference includes a single cabin, and a return trip from Barcelona to the Civitavecchia region of Rome. The fees for the conference state beer, wine, dinner drinks, a happy hour and night caps included as well as two breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Conference details stated: "To meet and discuss in combination with having a memorable and enjoyable time together with friends and colleagues in the industry is what the Shippax Ferry Conference is all about, while being on board a ferry ensures a familiar and close connection between all delegates. Educational and fun!"
Last year it emerged that taxpayer-funded CMAL spent hundreds of pounds more on monthly overseas travel during the pandemic than before Covid hit.
CMAL racked up £170,000 in foreign travel over the five years to 2022.
Official figures reveal that CMAL was spending nearly £300 a month more per month on overseas travel during the pandemic than in the five years before the virus hit.
It was spending an average of £2836.06 a month over six months during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021 having previously forked out £2547.22 a month in the five years before the virus restrictions.
CMAL said: "This conference is onboard a vessel and is not a cruise. It is no different to any conference that is held ashore."
The firm said it was at the forefront of ferry decarbonisation research, and that the Shippax Conference was "an opportunity to share this knowledge with our counterparts in the global shipping industry, while also supporting efforts to source second hand tonnage for the Scottish ferry network".
It said: “CMAL has a responsibility to engage with shipyards globally to ensure it is able to fulfil the delivery of up to 21 vessels in the next 10 years.”
Transport minister Kevin Stewart has defended the decision in the midst of the crisis of providing lifeline ferry services in Scotland with an ageing fleet saying that it could help to find second hand ferry opportunities to support CalMac's ageing fleet.
He responded to the complaint from Mr MacAskill saying: "It is for CMAL to determine the most appropriate forums that it attends and given the international nature of shipping this will on occasion include overseas events.
On board Cruise Barcelona
"It may be helpful for me explain that Shippax is primarily a conference for owners of vessels and operators. Shippax is primarily a forum where links within the industry are maintained and also presents opportunities for attendees, such as CMAL, to share experiences and knowledge about the net zero agenda. It also leads to connections that can yield second hand vessel opportunities, as has been the case with the MV Loch Frisa which would not have been offered on an exclusive basis without the links made by CMAL at a corporate level."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel