All four Calmac ferries being built in Turkey 'are on time and on budget'

All four ferries being built for Calmac at a Turkish shipyard are on time and on budget, the Scottish Government’s ferry-owning body has said.

The vessels under construction at the Cemre shipyard are “progressing well and according to the schedule”, CMAL said in an update to MSPs.

The first of the four ferries, which will serve Islay and Little Minch, was launched earlier this month and is expected to enter service in November.

It stands in sharp contrast to the two larger ferries being built at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, which are six years late and several times over-budget.

The CEO of the state-owned shipyard was sacked by the board this week and ministers are awaiting further detail on the potential for further delays to Glen Sannox and sister ship Glen Rosa.

The first of the Turkish vessels to enter the water is called the MV Isle of Islay.

It is just under 95m long and holds a maximum of 450 passengers and 100 cars, or 14 commercial vehicles.

The second ship, Loch Indaal, has the same specifications.

The contract for both vessels was awarded in March 2022.

At Ferguson Marine, the 102m-long Glen Sannox and its sister ship will each be able to carry 852 passengers, with the number of vehicles dependent on deck configurations.

In CMAL’s quarterly update to Holyrood’s Transport Committee, CEO Kevin Hobbs said a team of supervisors were on site in Turkey overseeing the construction.

The ship classification society, Lloyds Register, have issued statements verifying the hull construction meets the design brief, he said.

Commissioning activities for MV Isle of Islay are expected to begin in the second quarter of this year.

Mr Hobbs said: “We report that all four vessels remain on programme and budget.

“As we move to the more complex phase of the build of the vessels, (outfitting, cabling, pipework, installation of equipment etc) we will continue to work closely with the yard to ensure this remains the case and address any issues as they arise.”