Anas Sarwar: Scottish ferries being built abroad a 'humiliation'
- Published
Ferguson went into administration following a dispute over the construction of the last major order for CalMac ferries
The failure of Scotland's state-owned shipyard to compete for a Scottish ferry building contract is an "international humiliation", the Scottish Labour leader has claimed.
It was announced last week that Ferguson Marine had failed to make the shortlist to build the two ferries.
The Scottish government took the shipbuilder into public ownership in 2019 to avoid its collapse.
Anas Sarwar said "complacency and ineptitude" were to blame.
Firms from Turkey, Romania and Poland are now in contention for the contracts to build the ferries, which will serve the islands of Islay and Jura.
Speaking during First Minister's Questions at Holyrood, Mr Sarwar challenged Ms Sturgeon to explain "how a Scottish yard, supporting Scottish jobs and owned by the Scottish government failed to even make the shortlist to build Scotland's ferries".
He added: "The truth is that the failure to deliver these ferries are the result of complacency and ineptitude on the part of this SNP government.
"That this Scottish government-owned company can't win a Scottish government contract to build ships is a national scandal that is now an international humiliation.
"The only thing the SNP are good at manufacturing is grievance."
Ms Sturgeon argued that Ferguson "is on a journey back to recovery" and its focus is on the two other heavily delayed ferries that are still being built there.
She said her government had safeguarded hundreds of shipbuilding jobs in Scotland by keeping Ferguson's open.
The first minister added: "We will continue to support the shipyards, we will continue to support the workers there and we will continue to do everything to make sure that it is in a position to compete".
What is the row about?
The new ships will replace MV Hebridean Isles and allow MV Finlaggan (pictured) to be re-deployed to another route
The Ferguson shipyard, which is based at Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, had been among 11 bidders for the order to replace the ferries on the Islay route, but failed to make the shortlist.
The two new boats will be the first major order by CMAL, which procures vessels for CalMac, since Glen Sannox and an as-yet unnamed ship, known as Hull 802, which are still under construction at the Ferguson shipyard.
Glen Sannox is currently due to be delivered in the second half of next year, more than four years late, with the two ships costing the taxpayer more than double the original contract price.
Problems with the order dragged the yard back into administration in 2019 and since then it has been wholly-owned by the Scottish government, which also owns CMAL and CalMac.
The nationalised shipyard recorded a £100m loss in the first few months it was under Scottish government ownership.
The new order for the Islay route will be for two 94.8m long vessels to replace the MV Hebridean Isles - which is 36 years old - and MV Finlaggan which was launched in 2011.
MV Finlaggan will then be redeployed to a different route.
The new ships will be larger but more fuel efficient than the current vessels and will have greater vehicle capacity.
The GMB union, which represents the Ferguson workforce, said Scotland the failure of the yard to win the new contract meant that "ferries paid for by the public purse will be manufactured in Eastern Europe or Turkey" instead of in Inverclyde.