RMT on decision to save Clyde’s Ferguson Marine shipyard

SCOTTISH ferries union RMT today commented on the Scottish Government’s decision to save the Ferguson Marine shipyard on the Clyde by taking it into public ownership.

General Secretary, Mick Cash said:

“This is encouraging news, including for RMT members delivering CalMac’s busy summer services on ageing ferries.

“ The Scottish Government must now act fast to fix the technical issues that have dogged this contract and set a delivery date for the Glen Sannox and its sister ship – communities and workers on the Ardrossan-Brodick and Uig Triangle routes deserve that basic respect.

“This episode also highlights Ministers failure to meet other deadlines in their Ferries Plan and this decision should result in an increase in work to bring all of Scotland’s public ferry fleet into the twenty-first century. To do this, the Scottish Government must commit to work with the trade unions to build a company that can design and build, on the Clyde, the zero emission ferries needed by CalMac, NorthLink, Orkney Ferries and internationally.

“No doubt there are challenges but this is a golden opportunity to safeguard our maritime future.”

 

Ends

 

Notes to Editors

 

1. RMT is the largest trade union in the Scottish ferries industry, organizing nearly 900 seafarers and shore side staff. Our members work for public sector ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract with the Scottish Government; on Serco NorthLink’s Northern Isles Ferry Service (NIFS) public contract and on Orkney Ferries, owned by Orkney Islands Council.
2. CalMac operate thirty-three vessels, comprised of small and large ferries. The average age of the fleet is 22 years.
3. As Table 1 below demonstrates, in addition to the failure to deliver the two vessels from the contract with Ferguson Marine, the Scottish Government has missed a series of vessel replacement deadlines in its own Ferries Plan (published December 2012).
4. Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd is trialing groundbreaking hydrogen-fueled ferries through the HySeas III project and has a seat on the UK Government’s Clean Maritime Council.
5. The International Maritime Organisations’s Greenhouse Gas Strategy commits countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by at least 50% by 2050 (compared with 2008 emission levels). Targets for reducing emissions from shipping in 2025 and 2035 are pending.

 

Table 1: Routes where the vessel operated (all year round, unless stated) is above the average age (22 years) of the current CalMac fleet:

 

Vessel	Route	Built	Replaced[1]
MV Hebridean Isles (Large Ferry)	Kennacraig - Islay	1985	By 2016 (still in service)
MV Isle of Cumbrae (Small Ferry)	Tarbert – Portavadie (summer); winter relief vessel	1976	By 2016 (still in service)
MV Loch Riddon (Small Ferry)	Largs - Cumbrae (summer) Relief (Winter - Tarbert, Portavadie and Lochranza)	1986	By 2019 (still in service)
MV Loch Linnhe (Small Ferry)	Winter relief vessel for the Inner Hebrides; Tobermory - Kilchoan route in summer	1986	By 2019 (still in service)
MV Isle of Mull (Large Ferry)	Oban - Craignure	1988	By 2019 (still in service)
MV Isle of Arran (Large Ferry)	Ardrossan - Brodick (summer) Ardrossan - Campbeltown (summer) Relief vessel (winter)	1984	By 2019 (still in service)
MV Loch Tarbet (Small Ferry)	Tobermory - Kilchoan	1992	By 2025
MV Loch Fyne (Small Ferry)	Mallaig - Armadale	1991	By 2025
MV Loch Dunvegan (Small ferry)	Colintraive - Rhubodach (Bute)	1991	By 2025
MV Loch Buie (Small Ferry)	Mull - Iona	1992	By 2025
MV Lord of the Isles (Large ferry)	Mallaig - Lochboisdale Mallaig - Armadale (summer) Oban - Lochboisdale (winter) Oban - Colonsay (winter)	1989	By 2025
MV Caledonian Isles (Large Ferry)	Ardrossan - Brodick	1993	By 2025
MV Loch Striven (Small ferry)	Oban - Lismore	1986	No date
MV Loch Ranza (Small Ferry)	Tayinloan – Gigha	1987	No date
MV Isle of Lewis (Large Ferry)	Oban - Castlebay	1995	No date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] According to Scottish Government’s Ferries Plan 2013-22 (Dec 2012) proposals, where stated.