Labour vows to merge ferry bodies and fix ‘broken system’

Scottish Labour has pledged to “cut bureaucracy” by merging ferry bodies in a bid to fix the “broken system” relied on by islanders.

Party leader Anas Sarwar will visit the ferry terminal in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on Monday to highlight issues facing the country’s west coast ferry fleet and lay out his plans ahead of May’s election.

A Labour government in Holyrood would merge ferry operator CalMac and ferry procurement body Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), the party has said.

CMAL has come in for particular criticism in recent years over the building of the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, with both vessels having been massively delayed and over-budget and one still not in service.

Labour said the newly merged agency would have local representation on its board, and would create a new ferry procurement process, along with a rolling replacement programme to modernise the ageing fleet.

The Scottish Labour leader will visit the ferry terminal in Stornoway on Monday PA Media

The announcement comes at the end of a week CalMac said has seen “unprecedented” upheaval on the ferry network, with eight major vessels being take off service as a result of weather and technical issues.

Figures released to Labour under freedom of information laws show CalMac cancellations more than doubled between 2015 and 2025, from 6,822 annually to 13,647.

The number of cancellations for technical reasons also increased more than ninefold, from 709 to 7,371.

Sarwar said: “Cancellations have skyrocketed because of the SNP’s failure to upgrade Scotland’s lifeline ferry fleet.

“Right across Scotland, the SNP’s ferry fiasco is a symbol of their incompetence and waste – but in our islands it has wreaked havoc with people’s day-to-day lives.

“Behind these shameful figures are islanders who have missed weddings, funerals and medical appointments, loved ones who have been separated and businesses that are struggling to stay afloat.

“Enough is enough – it is time to put an end to the SNP’s ferry fiasco and give island communities the reliable lifeline service they deserve.

“Scottish Labour will fix the SNP’s mess and deliver the ferries island communities need.

He added: “Islanders, taxpayers and shipyard workers are all being let down by the SNP’s broken system – but there is a choice.

“On May 7, we can vote for change and elect a Scottish Labour government that will end the SNP’s ferry crisis and get the basics right.”

A spokesman for the SNP said there were “challenges” with the ferry network, but Mr Sarwar’s pledges do “nothing ” to build more ferries.

“The SNP is getting on with addressing the challenge of renewing our ageing fleet with more than £2 billion invested in ferry services in our time in office – that’s what our island communities want to see and that’s exactly what we are doing,” the spokesman said.

“Under the SNP we are operating more sailings and serving more routes than ever before, but of course the priority is to get people living in our island communities the service they deserve.

“Our island communities don’t need more soundbites from Sarwar.”

A spokesman for CalMac said: “Technical outages are a significant risk with an ageing fleet, and we provide more services than ever before so the demand on those vessels has increased over the years.

“That is why we’re phasing in regular maintenance time across our fleet to drive down the amount of unplanned technical disruptions and cancellations.

“Six major and seven small vessels will join our fleet between 2025 and 2029, and bringing in more modern tonnage should also improve reliability and reduce the amount of technical cancellations.”