The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. However, the BBC has learned that two expert reports submitted during the tender process did not support that evaluation. The current chief executive of CMAL, Kevin Hobbs, declined to be interviewed and when confronted by BBC Disclosure about the findings, made no comment. And he said it may be that the island will have to look at producing milk locally. CalMac is conducting its own internal inquiry and said the. In the past, the journalists job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. The ferries, formerly operated by Argyll Ferries, were acquired when the company was incorporated into Caledonian MacBrayne in January 2019.[17]. On Friday it emerged the government faces a 5million bill after losing a High Court case related to takeover of Ferguson's. Meanwhile, a contract to deliver MV Glen Sannox and a sister ferry in 2018 won't now be completed until 2023 with costs doubling to 200million. Modelled on the popular MVIsle of Mull of five years earlier, Caledonian Isles incorporates a fully enclosed car deck with watertight ramps at either end. The documentary learned that last November union representatives told Finance Secretary Kate Forbes they had lost confidence in the senior management team. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself. FAQs. ", Mr Drummond responded: "We are prioritising food deliveries and weve shipped everything the local haulier has asked for. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories. Under the law, refunds must be provided within seven days but given the unprecedented effects of coronavirus, we advise allowing ferry companies more time to process refunds. tony bloom starlizard. There are presently ten vessels over 80 metres (260 feet) in length in the CalMac fleet: They are doing their best in challenging circumstances. She is a double-ender ferry with . The following month it was announced that Mr Hair was moving on. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Long-delayed new CalMac ferries will take a further eight months to be completed by Ferguson Marine, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has told MSPs. The next deck up has the forward observation lounge at the bow and crew accommodation. Isle of Arran undertook services from Ardrossan to Campbeltown on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, returning on Friday, Saturday (via Brodick) and Sunday, whilst still operating from Ardrossan to Arran outwith its Campbeltown sailings. CalMac's oldest is the Isle of Cumbrae which is 47-years old. Hardly anything is coming in the shops we are limited to one carton of milk. Such craft are prohibitively expensive to fuel, cause dangerous ''superwaves'' in enclosed waters, and could never manage the exposed seas of Hebridean winter. When closed, the bow ramp seals the car deck and when open, forms the bridge between the ship and the linkspan. MVHebrides, If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to The deal to build two new CalMac ferries for Arran and the Hebrides has run into serious trouble. MV Hebrides was first removed from service in mid-June due to a problem with its fire-fighting system. they had lost confidence in the senior management team. One, by ferry operator CalMac, found that a rival bid from a Polish shipyard best met its requirements, while an independent naval architect noted that FMEL's initial design was heavier and less efficient than the others. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. It's a ''nationalised dinosaur'' succeeding in only one thing - ''getting the taxpayer to fork . She is a double-ender ferry with passenger capacity for 195, and capacity for 40 cars, or 4 HGVs. The introduction of heavily-subsidised road equivalent tariffs - aligning fares with the cost of road travel - has increased ferry traffic over the past decade, with 5.7m passengers and nearly 1.5m vehicles being carried in 2019 before the pandemic. Regulation 1177/2010 provides that if a ferry service provider cancels a ferry service, they must refund or rebook you. She is a spare vessel during the winter months. [5], Due to the demand for capacity, a second ferry has supplemented Caledonian Isles during the summer season since 2005. He has been contacted for comment. . Back in 2012, a ferries plan included a programme of vessel replacement. The much delayed MVGlen Sannox is expected to serve Arran from 2022,[2][3][4] replacing MVIsle of Arran and allowing Caledonian Isles to become the second ferry on the Ardrossan-Brodick and the Ardrossan-Campbeltown crossings. The upper deck has the bridge and outside seating from the huge red funnel towards the stern. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. Never miss the latest top headlines from the Scottish Daily Express. If the mezzanine decks are fully deployed there is insufficient height to accommodate lorries and other high vehicles other than at the bow and stern. .''. It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse. We need to do something different, because the government isn't interested in helping us. Repairs were carried out on the MV Caledonian Isles after an engine failure, The Glen Sannox's construction at Ferguson's shipyard has been troubled, An impression of one of new ferries being built for the Islay route, Privately-run Pentland Ferries has successfully used catamarans to and from Orkney for years, In Denmark, fully-electric ferries are already sailing but only on relatively short routes, Islands like Iona are seeing visitor numbers pick up again, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. [1] The largest and newest, MVLoch Shira, is 54.27 by 13.90m (178ft 1in by 45ft 7in) and can carry 32 cars and 250 passengers. There is no standard over 60s ticket, but there are concessions available for islanders in certain areas. Islanders' anger at wider ferry disruption. The issues have meant that other ferries such as MV Hebrides have had overhauls delayed until March 20 to cover for MV Clansman which suffered a starboard main engine failure after sea trials over a technical issue. Any shortages may be down to supermarket supply chain issues.. This happened on 4 January 2012, following storm damage to the linkspan at Ardrossan.[6]. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com. [citation needed], On first coming into service, Caledonian Isles usually berthed overnight at Ardrossan in the summer and at Brodick in the winter timetable. But yesterday nearly all the sailings on the affected routes remained wiped out despite the move, with just two sailings planned. Also on this level are the four enclosed lifeboats 2 larger and 2 smaller boats mounted on davits. The following year his new firm, Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL), won a 97m contract to build two dual fuel LNG vessels for state-owned ferry operator CalMac. Editors' Code of Practice. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . Islanders from Arran to Islay have lodged complaints. It would be interesting to see Kerevan's obsession with the profit-motive applied, say, to the police, or our prisons, or the armed forces. These can be moved up and down to their deployed or stowed positions. Nor is there a quote from a member of the Scottish Executive. CalMac is the Scottish Government-owned operator of the current eight-year ferry contract, awarded by Transport Scotland after a competition with private sector operator Serco and due to end in. She measures 50m (164ft 1in) long by 14.5m (47ft 7in) metres wide. Scandal-hit Ferguson Marine faces being dissolved despite millions of taxpayer money being ploughed into it, Caledonian Sleeper to be nationalised as Scottish Government accused of throwing taxpayers' money away, Cap on Scottish council fatcat wage rises lifted despite council tax hikes and severe cuts, SNP civil war turns more toxic as leading Sturgeon loyalist blasts Ash Regan as 'looking like an opposition politician', Moaning CMAL blame media reports about ferry fiasco for poor reputation as 'amateur' shipbuilders, CalMac claim unbundling ferry routes would not bring value to taxpayer despite massive bill for new ferries, Scots island community demands change as ferry fiasco delays hit locals hard, Lawyer to investigate whether 97m Calmac ferry contracts were 'rigged', Islanders face ANOTHER ferry fiasco as MV Caledonian Isles and MV Clansman overhauls delayed, Met Police in London urged to investigate the SNP's Covid 'crime of the century', Campaigners believe longstanding failures in the Scottish healthcare regulation were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to up to 30,000 avoidable deaths and they won't stop until they get justice, Prince Harry feels 'stuck' with Meghan Markle in America as biographer claims he wants them to come home, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit the UK in 2020 but observers reckon the move has not worked out for them, Tax authorities 'destroyed' Rangers, former chairman Charles Green tells court, Green also spoke of his dislike for Craig Whyte, telling the court 'if we had a collection in this court we would have more money from that than Craig Whyte would ever have', Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell's joint bank account is key to resignation, says Private Eye, The outgoing SNP leader and her chief executive husband are urged to answer the question about whether or not they have a joint bank account, as the magazine says Operation Branchform was the 'game-changer' behind shock resignation, Nicola Sturgeon's tax returns reveal gold-plated 460k pension since she became First Minister, The Nats leader promised to publish her tax returns every year in 2016 and then promptly forgot all about it until today. CMAL's argument is that it needs to build long-lifespan "quality" ships, interchangeable between routes and capable of withstanding often harsh conditions. The delays have added to pressure on CalMac's old and increasingly unreliable fleet. The Caledonian MacBrayne vessel MV Isle of Mull leaves Oban, with the hills of the Mull in the background. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said he was concerned by the BBC's findings and would look into the matter further. . CMAL and Jim McColl's former management team have blamed each other for problems that later developed with the construction of the ships. The company provides lifeline services to 23 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating routes in the Firth of Clyde. "For others that can only do a once-weekly shop how can they when we have no supplies on the islands. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Passenger accommodation is down one or both sides of the ship. Bad weather prevented Caledonian Isles from berthing in Troon, reducing the service to passenger-only from Ardrossan. [14] A second hybrid ferry, MVLochinvar, was launched in May 2013 for the Tarbert to Portavadie route. The former SNP Westminster leader claimed he had not spoken to Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell about the Police Scotland probe into the party's 'missing' 600k. This will be closely monitored, with feedback being obtained directly from island communities and local resilience partnerships providing a more rounded assessment of impact than transport operators alone can provide.". The following year his new firm, Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL), won a 97m contract to build two dual fuel LNG vessels for state-owned ferry operator CalMac. They have red funnels with black caps that display the Lion Rampant badge with masts in buff. CalMac's ''monopoly must go'', declared the Wednesday editorial, and its routes would be ''best franchised in separate bundles''. MV Loch Seaforth, at 116m (381ft) in length the largest vessel in the fleet, operates on the Ullapool to Stornoway, Lewis crossing. She was relieved by MVHebridean Isles, thereby causing knock-on cancellations to services to South Uist, where the latter vessel was due to relieve next. [16], MVArgyll Flyer (244 passengers) and the catamaran MVAli Cat (250 passengers) are passenger-only ferries used on the Gourock - Dunoon service. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. The vessel, which can carry 612 passengers and 90 cars, was due to be replaced by a new ship, one of two dual-fuel vessels at the centre of a ferry-building fiasco that are languishing in Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow on the Clyde. "We will be looking at the substance of the allegations raised around procurement by the programme before deciding whether further audit work is required," it said. We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. They were made redundant by the opening of the Skye Bridge and eventually found redeployment elsewhere. The Herald on Sunday revealed that the ferry operator had been secretly hit with 3.5m in performance fines in a year by the Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland as concerns rise about the reliability of Scotlands ageing ferry fleet. During this period, MVLoch Riddon operated additional services from Claonaig to Lochranza. CalMac says its maintenance budget has risen by 67% over the past five years,. SHOPS across some Scots islands have been forced to ration essential items amid widespread ferry cancellations due to a broken down vessel, the Herald on Sunday can reveal. MVCaledonian Isles, When deployed, these allow additional cars to be loaded. . The 1920 Saturday departure was removed during the winter 2016/2017 timetable to facilitate a 0820 sailing from Brodick on Sunday, where a crew safety drill has been a normal occurrence since October 2016. Michael Beales men were desperate to put last weeks 2-1 Hampden defeat behind them and faced a Kilmarnock side crying out for success on the road. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please A mere 7cm (3in) shorter, MVLoch Fyne and MVLoch Dunvegan were built for the Skye crossing. She is 49.2m (161ft 5in) long, and has capacity for 190 passengers. In 2019, the shipyard went back into administration and was nationalised after ministers rejected a last-ditch offer from Mr McColl to split the cost of completing the two ferries, claiming this would breach EU state aid rules. But like the metaphor about the time it takes to turn a tanker around, the problems facing CalMac's fleet are going to take a long time to fix. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can The group said on Thursday in a message to CalMac's managing director Robbie Drummond and Ms Gilruth: "Maybe the plan is that without visitors we wont need many supplies. MV Hebrides has been withdrawn from service twice because of issues with its fire suppressant system. The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 units in operation and another 4 on order. MVCaledonian Isles has the highest passenger capacity and can carry 1000 people on the Ardrossan to Brodick, Arran crossing. A procurement law expert told Disclosure claims of unequal treatment of bidders in tender processes can lead to breaches in EU law and potential legal action from unsuccessful bidders. [18] Her design allows her to make the crossing in reverse when sea conditions allow.[18]. "You would think they can just put another ferry on but then they say they can't, just suck it up. The ferry operator said the Inner Hebrides' MV Clansman and Islay's MV Hebridean Isles are out of action due to technical problems and delays have delayed the return of Arran's MV Caledonian Isles from its annual overhaul as the ship has been in dry dock since 9 January. We will continue to do our best to balance demand to capacity however, with no spare vessels and limited deployment options, capacity may be reduced on some routes and in some situations, we may need to prioritise essential bookings. Read about our approach to external linking. The article. Representatives told the programme they became increasingly worried about the growing number of managers being taken on, which they felt undermined long-term competitiveness, with little evidence of progress. Millions of public pounds were sunk in badly-sited terminals and an inadequate new ferry. Kerevan does not include in his report quotes from CalMac's managers or officials. This is all the more puzzling as Dalton interviewed, at length, Lawrie Sinclair only on August 14. A Transport Scotland spokesman said: CalMac forms part of the local resilience partnership. As the third-largest vessel in the fleet, she brought new levels of capacity and passenger comfort to the routes. A Norwegian ferry operator has taken delivery of a boat powered by liquid hydrogen - but this is still prototype technology. "We have a senior manager from Scottish Water over visiting projects we are working on and struggling to believe this this kind of thing happens in this day and age," he said. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. There are four vessels in the fleet which cannot be listed in the above categories. "The Outer Hebrides is in real risk of being a destination visitors may avoid because of ferry unreliability, indeed we are seeing a drop in visitor numbers already.". [1] She was built for and has run on the Largs to Cumbrae route since 2007. He said: "It is material that I take seriously, about which I have concerns, which raises fundamental issues for me about the fairness and the appropriateness of the tender process.". Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Hebrides - This ferry has been providing relief cover between Lochmaddy and Ullapool while work is being done to Skye's Uig pier. MVChieftain is a passenger-only vessel leased from Clyde Marine to operate the Gourock to Kilcreggan service since June 2020. Alas, they are those of his paper. While few dispute the need for new ferries, there is far less consensus on what type of vessels should be purchased. But the project has been. [20][21] Following a naming competition, CMAL announced renaming as MV Loch Frisa.[22]. Caledonian Isles serves the Isle of Arran on the Ardrossan to Brodick route. There was much controversy following the decision to award the shipbuilding contracts to yards outside Scotland. [8] The new terminal has two ferry berths: the west side berth and the east side berth. Outer Hebrides Tourism, the industry-led group expressed was "dismayed and angry" that there is no end to the ferry crisis causing "extremely serious issue for both tourism and our wider community". Even the newer ships have had breakdowns - CalMac's biggest ship MV Loch Seaforth, built in 2014, was out of action for weeks last year due to engine damage, with knock-on effects hitting many other services. 2023 BBC. For the new Islay ferries, CMAL has ditched LNG in favour of mainly diesel ships with "fuel efficient hulls" and some electric power options while manoeuvring in port. A leaked dossier has suggested the process of awarding a 97m Scottish ferries contract may have been rigged. . 48 hour snow warning for Scotland as Met Office predicts an icy start to spring, Don't put your winter woollies away yet! On services where capacity is affected, we would encourage those customers who are able to do so, make reservations as foot passengers. During Caledonian Isles' absence, she was relieved by Isle of Arran. "Completing the essential overhaul schedule and returning vessels to service is our priority, and we thank you for your patience and understanding.". Read about our approach to external linking. It is now understood while the Scottish Government has come under increasing fire over a failure to deal with the ferries crisis, it is now considering setting up a compensation fund for islands using fines it has imposed on CalMac for underperformance. Teaching strikes reprieve in doubt as union blasts 14% pay rise as 'paltry'. The Scottish Government's investment plan is hoping to bring the average age of the fleet to 15 years. The first thing they do is they better buy two cartons of milk, or two two packs of Lurpak. In August 2015, it was announced that two new ferries would be built at Ferguson Marine Engineering at Port Glasgow on the Clyde. Aft of the entrance there are lounges down either side with toilet blocks, the shop and a bar lounge further towards the stern. A Gannett Company. CMAL had used the same firm to help draft the tender pack which went to bidders, but has previously told MSPs it saw nothing problematic in this. It said its board had voiced concerns to Transport Scotland about the contract award to Fergusons, particularly in relation to the lack of refund guarantees, which were well-documented. It's suggested the timing was just right to coincide with King Charles' controversial meeting with EU leader Ursula von der Leyen. This has resulted in some island communities being left relying on a single ferry as some boats were taken off their usual routes to cover other services. The spokesman said an additional sailing was due to set off yesterday (Saturday) evening between Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and Ullapool on the mainland to help move freight. CMAL said in a statement that new information contained in the programme would need to be "carefully investigated". It said that while the Scottish Government must invest in the ferry fleet in the short and long term, it must compensate businesses who have suffered impact from the disruption and build confidence in the Outer Hebrides as a visitor destination "after the negative economic impact of this summer's ferry fiasco". webmaster@uh-solugrifos.mipaginawebadministrable.com to inform them of the time this error occurred, The company leased the cruise boat MVClyde Clipper from Clyde Cruises to start the service, but she was out of service with engine problems for most of the first day.[13]. Nor are we advised of Professor Kay's expertise in maritime affairs, but his obscurity is such that he enjoys no entry in Who's Who in Scotland. The cost to the public purse has risen to 2.5 times the original 97m budget - and the first ship won't be handed over to CalMac until the spring of 2023 at the earliest, nearly five years late. 2023 BBC. Some island communities have suggested they would be better served by a greater number of smaller vessels, and that shore-based crews could boost their economies. So I buy plenty milk in to last me. The MV Caledonian Isles, which is 29 years old, was out of service for nearly a fortnight in April with engine failure causing capacity problems for Arran, CalMac's busiest ferry route, just when businesses were hoping to see some kind of bounce-back after Covid.
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