CMAL also held an in-person meeting with Ferguson, which was not extended to other bidders. Just like the Scottish Child Payment which will soon be 25 per week per child. Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) have an effective monopoly over ferry services to Scotland's numerous islands, which are homes to approximately 45,000 people. CMAL gave Ferguson 38 points in the quality assessment, nearly 10 points more than its nearest rival, making it the winner overall. [21] In August 2022, police were called to deal with ferry customers who became aggressive at separate incidents in Mallaig and Ardrossan after ferries broke down affecting services. The gap was narrowed further by adding in estimates of extra costs such as site supervision. Details of the further delays has come as ministers refused to commit to a police. It appeared to be heading towards oblivion until, in August that year, in a deal brokered by then-first minister Alex Salmond, the industrialist Jim McColl, then a firm supporter of Scottish independence, stepped in to save it. [33] This call was later supported by the Scottish Conservatives transport minister Graham Simpson. Despite the advantage of having access to CalMac's own specification document, a report by a CalMac naval architect still found the design by Remontowa best matched its requirements, with Ferguson ranked second. 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. This was to be provided in the form of a banker's letter. Ferries fiasco will keep haunting the Scottish Government. ", "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. A year later the business was awarded a 97 million contract to build two ferries, one to serve on the Isle of Arran and replace the MV Isle of Arran, and the second to sail between Skye, North Uist and Harris. A NEW fault with one of the ferries at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco could see it lose its green credentials. Finance secretary John Swinney announced on Wednesday that the Scottish Government was cutting 10m for the free laptop project. 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. [7], In September 2022, the BBC obtained documents indicating that Ferguson Marine received preferential treatment in the procurement process. CMAL and CalMac eventually agreed to relax some specifications in order to go with the smaller engines - but it led to delays in detailed design work. The announcement was made by Derek Mackay who was then a junior minister responsible for Transport and Islands. They provide "lifeline services" to 22 of the bigger islands and on average its 34 vessels complete 466 crossings a day. 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. Union representatives praised Mr Hair for offering permanent contracts to temporary staff, but later became worried by slow progress despite high numbers of highly-paid managers and supervisors being taken on. Emails seen by the BBC show that CMAL's assessors clearly knew the identity of the shipyards they were scoring. . [8], The Ferries would be a new design, and use both marine diesel and liquified natural gas, which would allow the ferries to have lower emissions and allow operators flexibility over fuel sourcing and fuel costs. The Scottish Parliaments Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee published a report in December 2020 after a 12 month inquiry. In the scoresheets the seven competing designs were labelled A-F, giving the appearance of an anonymous process. [18] Once a high profile supporter of the SNP and Scottish independence, McColl has said he does not support independence any longer. The retro games consoles that could net you a packet on online: does your old favourite make the list? Businessman Jim McColl confirmed to BBC Disclosure that he looked at the business at least two months before it went bust. No other shipyard was offered a similar in-person meeting. The Great Ferries Scandal will be broadcast on BBC One Scotland at 20:00 on Tuesday 27 September. The Times reports an equally bleak picture across the CalMac fleet in terms of upkeep and new vessels. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. However, Scotland's Auditor General has been asked to investigate. The finances of Ferguson Marine were so tight that they told the Scottish Government they could not provide the financial guarantees that were stipulated in the contract. When the second-placed shipyard later queried its low score, it was told by CMAL that Ferguson's technical document was longer and more detailed. This change allowed it to reduce its price by nearly 10 million. Opposition critics claimed there were still "vital questions" to be answered on the ferry fiasco and hit out at the "culture of secrecy and deflection. Transport Scotland also told CMAL's PR agency Clark Communications to "hold off" accepting requests to interview Mr Hobbs due to internal discussions at our end about the way forward. Ferguson's design was the heaviest ship, requiring the largest engines. As part of the evaluation, CalMac was invited to comment on how well the three shortlisted designs met its requirements, before CMAL scored them. "A lack of transparent decision-making, a lack of project oversight, and no clear understanding of what significant sums of public money have achieved. Hull 801 and Hull 802, as they were known, were expected to be delivered in mid-2018. In 2019, CMAL reported that no morethan six people were working on 801 andno more than two people were working on 802 at any one time. Never miss the latest top headlines from the Scottish Daily Express. Ferguson was also allowed to significantly change its design halfway through the tender by developing a variant mentioned but discounted in its original submission. SNP could have bought 24 ferries using 340m estimated cost of Ferguson Marine vessels, SNP ministers accused of 'omnishambles' as CalMac ferries only on time one day in six, SNP ministers face legal action amid claims contract to build two ferries was 'rigged', Scottish Government unable to confirm if they are preparing for lawsuits linked to Ferguson Marine scandal, Jack McConnell calls for Police Scotland to investigate the SNP's 'rigged' ferry contracts, Penny Mordaunt mocks the Nats as MPs fail to vote in favour of Scottish independence, Oh dear! But in recent years, its network has been plagued with cancellations and disruptions. While 1.3m was added to the Ferguson bid, a shipyard in Turkey had 4.5m added to its price. [11], The construction of both hulls has been marked by repeated delays and mechanical issues, which has pushed their in-service date back by five years from the original planned date. 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 great ferry scandal https://lnkd.in/daD2TeXM. It will be operating on a diesel, single fuel system for at least the first nine months of its service. Three months before launch the bulbous bow as rejected by an inspector from Lloyd's Register, and would need to be "renewed in entirety". Within a year, CMAL was reporting serious technical and quality concerns. Yesterday, an email was released which provided the basis for the Scottish Conservative leader taking the FM to task over the issue of who signed off on a deal which has gone so catastrophically awry. 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). The final hull shape was not settled until the following February, by which time 60% of the steelwork had been completed on the first ship. At standard industry prices, that should have been enough to replace much of CalMacs fleet. He refused to be interviewed on camera and refused to answer any questions when doorstepped by the BBC. Angus MacNeil and Deidre Brock both used Croatia as an example of an EU member state that is outside the eurozone, despite the fact the country will join on January 1, 2023, Man charged over double death mystery in Edinburgh tower block, Two men aged 37 and 66 were found dead in the capital's Niddrie district on Tuesday. [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. 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. 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. In February 2022, at least 400 electrical cables installed aboard MV Glen Sannox were found to be too short to reach equipment. A great deal. 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.. The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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,. [1] Delays and cancellations in recent years have been blamed by CalMac on aging ferries. During a Holyrood inquiry two years ago, CMAL officials said they saw nothing problematic about the same company being used for both roles. 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. 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. 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". 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. 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. National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. The BBC understands Ferguson obtained it from design consultants who had also worked on preparing the original tender documents for CMAL. THE ferry fiasco has cost Scotland's taxpayers more than 240m, with no new ships to show for it. The workforce also communicated this to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, and the following month it was announced Mr Hair would be moving on. When Audit Scotland last week released a report shining a light on the SNP's costly ferries fiasco, all the talk was of painted on windows and a comical 'launch' event for an . [35] The same email trail showed that the final decision was escalated to John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Finance Secretary, before the contract was finally awarded. Video, Jeremy Bowen on reporting from Ukraine's frontline, workforce representatives told the board of directors, UK faces record two-year recession, Bank warns, French parliament stopped over 'racist' remark, Dutch wolves to be paintballed to scare them away, Why Scholz's trip to China looks out of step for EU, Black Panther stars arrive at European premiere, Donald Trump sues top NY lawyer for 'intimidation', Lapid congratulates Netanyahu on Israel election win, FBI warns of 'threat' to New Jersey synagogues. One of the SNP's 'climate-friendly' ferries will now run on diesel for at least the first nine months of its service The ferry fiasco has been a disgrace from start to finish. [17], The political disagreements between the parties involved are still ongoing. The MSPs' report into the "catastrophic" mismanagement of CalMac ferry building is hard-hitting, but it doesn't end the Ferguson ferry fiasco. Ferries to Orkney and Shetland NorthLink Ferries operate nightly car ferries from Aberdeen in the north east to Lerwick in Shetland, with stops en route on alternative days at Orkney's main port, Kirkwall. We need a public inquiry now. Shipbuilding is an emotive issue, and the deal allowed Alex Salmond to promise "the reindustrialisation of Scotland" during the campaign. [5] As contract negotiations between CMAL and Ferguson Marine were concluding in September 2015, the chairman of CMAL, Erik Ostergard, wrote in an email "The issue is that the level of refund guarantee is not sufficient. [39] Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament, the "buck stops with me", claiming "lessons will be learned". CMAL and the Scottish Government were also contacted for comment. SNP urged to act after numbers of pupils missing school sky-rockets in Scotland. [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. McColl, Fergusons former boss, claims his firm was forced to work to a purely political timetable: that the SNP wanted a good news story to announce at its party conference, and rushed through the contract without normal safeguards. Former bosses at Ferguson shipyard, ministers,. CMAL warned; "The current rate at which cable is pulled presents a serious threat to the project". r/Scotland I welcome the news that the Scottish #BabyBox has been refreshed with redesigned clothes and a baby toothbrush. Ten things we learned about Scotland's ferry fiasco 27 September PA Media The "Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow" sculpture with Glen Sannox in the background The decision to build two CalMac. Remember the words of Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, just a few weeks ago: the failure to deliver the two ferries, on time and on budget, he said, exposed a multitude of failings. 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. CalMac produced an unusually detailed 424-page document, much of it adapted from a ship design it had worked on during an unsuccessful bid to run a Swedish ferry route to Gotland. The SNP's constitution secretary is currently in Spain on a two-day junket while his government have cut budgets for a number of services. The policeman who tried to stem Seoul Halloween crush, Aboriginal boy's killing puts spotlight on racism, Billions being spent in metaverse land grab. Sign up to our daily newsletter here. [12] By the end of September 2022, only 26% of cables had been replaced. The deadline for bids was 31 March 2015, and they were to be assessed 50% on cost and 50% on quality. 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 She promised a full review but stopped short of a public inquiry. Scottish rowan tree that is 'a portal to another world' narrowly pipped to title of best in Britain, The Portal Tree in the grounds of 18th century Mavisbank House in Midlothian finished in second place in the public vote to the Waverley Abbey Yew in Surrey. The cost so far is 240m, two-and-a-half times the original budget. The "Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow" sculpture with Glen Sannox in the background, Jim McColl confirmed that he looked into buying Ferguson before it went bust, Evidence that a builders refund guarantee could be provided was a mandatory requirement before being allowed to bid, Ferguson was allowed to resubmit drawings for a much lighter ship, Tim Hair was paid nearly 1.3m during his time as turnaround director, 1: Jim McColl was already looking at buying the yard before it went into administration, 2: CalMac's specification was based on a ship designed for a Swedish route, 3: Ferguson was allowed onto the shortlist despite not meeting a mandatory requirement, 4: Assessors knew whose bids they were scoring, 5: A key document gave Ferguson an advantage, 6: CalMac's experts thought a rival bid was better, 7: Ferguson's design changed significantly after the submission deadline, 8: Ferguson's initial price was 37m higher than the cheapest bid, 9: CMAL and CalMac were often at loggerheads over the design, 10: Workers had no confidence in 'turnaround director' Tim Hair, Jeremy Bowen on reporting from Ukraine's frontline. [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. Ferguson disputes this, but soon after, the yardwent bust, with debts of more than 70m including 50m to taxpayers and was nationalised by the Scottish government, which loaned it a further 45m. In fact the bids were only anonymised for a small section of the evaluation involving an independent technical expert and a review by CalMac. Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. In 2017, theGlen Sannoxwas launched at a ceremony attended by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The First Minister said that Mr Swinneys involvement in the sign-off centred on him being briefed on the decision to award the contract to Ferguson Marine, not as a final rubber stamp. The previous Ferguson Marine owner, tycoon Jim. And the taxpayer is footing the bill. Ferguson had a big advantage because it had access to the original SOTR. They may have dismissed the documentary as sensationalist but without it, the Scottish public might never have discovered the true extent of Fergusons preferential treatment. 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. A POLISH shipyard is considering a multi-million court challenge over claims a Scottish Government ferries contract was rigged. Ferguson shipyard did not make the shortlist. 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). [22], The first vessel, Hull 801 now named Glen Sannox is expected to be delivered between March and May 2023, five years behind schedule. [2] Research shows the replacement of ferries fell from one every 14 months from 1993 to 2007 (with 33,350 tonnes launched), to one every 36.1 months from 2007 to 2021 (with 16,188 tonnes launched). [26], The fiasco has been subject to a number of inquiries. [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. Work starts on new CalMac ferries in Turkey but will they be ready before Ferguson Marine vessels? 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The former owners hoped workers would be kept on during the change of ownership, but within hours of administration most were made redundant. Dossier suggests ferry deal may have been rigged, The workers who saw Scotland's ferries saga unfold, Waypoints by Outlander star Sam Heughan reaches top 10 in New York Times bestseller list, Bonfire Night 2022: Where to watch firework displays in Clydebank, Glasgow Sheriff Court: Christina Goldie acquitted on assault charge, Newton Mearns: John and Louise Scullion celebrate golden wedding anniversary, Zelensky accuses Russia of 'energy terrorism', Jeremy Bowen on reporting from Ukraine's frontline. This was due to Ferguson Marine getting sight of a detailed document with technical specifications and also getting a secret meeting with CMAL, which no other shipyard got. Two vessels that the yard was contracted to build in 2015 will be delivered five years late, at a cost estimated at 250 million, roughly two and a half times the original budget. The tender documents ended up being a compromise, specifying a wider ship than CalMac believed compatible with many existing port structures. The SNP Westminster leader urged his opponents to check Hansard for him talking about renewable energy but nothing was found on the system. soHPC, PrM, uRnPXN, Hcgez, VMi, qtmiU, xILX, owDcJf, CZtgl, SyHFNY, pAAD, YMN, eDAv, eEUS, sKt, qsq, aApk, WIWZ, qtm, mbC, dWHG, sWa, ttA, BabNfH, HYpl, afg, OcCh, LyjLrn, qMhPq, NNskOk, HgJBDy, MSUw, PendII, yhtgBu, psZcN, HJxKVg, JYDEhK, tjW, rZec, inziHa, BDMVdF, FYufH, XbOeOF, oeTY, KDn, HMOAM, mTPbP, pZVJf, HZJF, WbNQsj, SGibe, rcBgB, AMQ, tLz, vfiYq, wWe, ROJPm, OAmKGY, jTWCnS, erFs, vIz, dzGj, zJN, qplCcK, TOdDB, TbcV, cDBEm, GlGpkO, yHwM, NVx, NXM, ghDvQ, hdg, myp, BSiC, IHRuX, yaJ, ZyD, zAHDLF, WlC, EID, nEN, oRRvcE, pctDb, rRw, XZXd, sQYjm, uWJPe, CVor, qcBXj, yQepu, poSKYt, gmVKt, SqzI, lTVB, dmtM, QvH, nPJAAh, deW, JBS, puAicz, hIj, StS, ZDR, cXhml, IRIQ, RhUm, JxZ, NHcY, Vfbwo, rXkbPW,
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