John Swinney has said sorry to islanders impacted by delays in building two new ferries to serve the routes off Scotland’s west coast.
The First Minister said he regrets “very much” problems with the construction of the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa, as the building of the vessels has run years late with costs massively over budget. They are being built for operator CalMac at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow.
The Glen Sannox, the first of the two ferries to be completed, was initially due to be delivered in 2018, but it will only start carrying passengers next week between Arran and Troon, South Ayrshire. The Glen Rosa is currently due to be handed over to CalMac in September.
Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “I regret very much the cost that’s been involved and the delays that have been involved in the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa. These ferries should have been built a great deal faster than they were built, and I apologise unreservedly to island communities for the delays in those two ferries.”
Swinney said he is “entirely focused” on “making sure that islanders have the ferry services that they require”. Saying he uses CalMac ferries “on a regular basis”, the First Minister stressed the importance of making sure “island communities are well supported”.
As well as the two ferries being built by Ferguson Marine, a further four new vessels for CalMac are being constructed in Turkey – although Swinney said “unfortunately because of global supply chain issues, the first of those ferries is taking a bit longer than we would have ideally liked”.
But he insisted: “We are investing in the ferry fleet to make sure that island communities are well supported, and they can be assured of the commitment of the Scottish Government to make sure that that is the case.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here