Government plans for publicly funded operator CalMac have been mired in controversy, with replacement vessels delayed and costs spiralling. Almost £100m has been spent over the past decade on repairs for eight of the largest publicly owned ferries in Scotland.
The figure has been described as “eye-watering” by Sue Webber, transport spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives, who obtained details of the repair bill from ferry operator CalMac. The disclosure will add to the controversy surrounding Scotland’s “ferry fiasco”, which has led to major disruption of transport links between islands and the mainland. At the same time, construction of replacement vessels has suffered huge delays while costs have quadrupled.
The MV Caledonian Isles – which sails between Ardrossan and Brodick, on the Isle of Arran – cost the most to repair, it was revealed on Saturday. More than £22m was spent on work on the ship, including £7m on repairs that kept the ferry out of service for most of last year. It is still not due to return to service until March.
Repairs to the MV Isle of Lewis cost just over £15.2m, while £14.6m was spent on the MV Lord of the Isles and £14.4m on the MV Isle of Mull. The other vessels on the repair list were the MV Argyle, MV Finlaggan, MV Loch Dunvegan and MV Loch Seaforth.
