THREE CalMac eco ferries which cost £34.4million to build ran up maintenance bills of over £1million in just 10 months last year.
The Ferguson Marine constructed hybrid diesel electric vessels operate short routes on the west coast but have been hit with repeated faults that led to cancelled sailings.
And on top of the ongoing maintenance cost, two of the ferries need battery replacements which will cost taxpayers a further £2.5million.
Lib Dem North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie said: “If we are to spend large sums of money on ferries, we need to know that they work and maintenance costs are reasonable.
“So CalMac must be open and transparent about costs and breakdowns. It’s the least the islanders and taxpayers deserve.”
CalMac spent between £10million and £12.3million on each of the three ferries built at the now state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard.
Last year, we told how between December 2012 – when the first ship was launched – and May 2023, the cost of maintenance and repairs totalled £6,486,546.
And figures released through Freedom of Information show, in the first 10 months of 2024, taxpayers were billed a further £1,030,555 for upkeep.
Between January 1 and October 31 last year, total costs for the MV Hallaig, which provides a service between Sconser on Skye to the
Isle of Raasay, were £937,985. Repair costs in that period for the MV Lochinvar, which operates between Fishnish and Lochaline in Argyll, were £45,692.
Costs for maintenance and repairs for the MV Catriona were £46,878.
It does the 90-minute trip between Lochranza on Arran and Tarbert, Loch Fyne. We previously revealed how MV Hallaig had been left running on diesel because its electric battery was broken, with a £1.5million replacement needed.
The MV Catriona – launched in 2015 – now needs a £1million battery replacement and refurbishment, less than 10 years after launch.
Alfred Baird, ex-director of the Maritime Transport Research Group at Napier University, was consulted on the ferries and claimed a total running cost of 259 per cent more than diesel.
He said: “The usual ship procurement failings are in evidence including poor initial ship specifications leading to unproven prototype designs, a preference for heavy displacement boats requiring far more power than necessary.
Craig Ramsay, CalMac’s Fleet Management Director: “Our fleet of three hybrid vessels operate all year round in very challenging conditions. They are regularly maintained both in service and during their statutory annual maintenance period.
“Maintenance spend is heavily influenced by regulatory compliance, the recommendations from equipment manufacturers, our own experience of the vessels, as well as supply chain market forces. “
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