CONSTRUCTION costs for three new CalMac ferries being built in Turkey have risen by around £20 million, the Transport Secretary has said.
Stephen Flynn said ministers have approved the additional project costs to complete the construction of MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor and MV Claymore.
The three vessels are being constructed at the Cemre yard in Turkey to join the CalMac fleet and serve routes on Scotland’s west coast in a bid to ease pressures caused by its ageing vessels.
In a letter sent to the Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee this week, Flynn said new delays have also been confirmed.
“Scottish ministers have continued to liaise closely with officials from Transport Scotland and CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets) throughout this process and consider the actions taken and agreements now in place to be appropriate in order to protect public investment and deliver these much-needed vessels,” the letter said.
“MV Loch Indaal is expected to be delivered by October 2026, subject to final commissioning and certification, MV Lochmor is expected to be delivered in Q1 2027 and MV Claymore is expected to be delivered in Q2 2027.”
He said: “CMAL continue to push for as early delivery of all three vessels as practicable.”
The update comes after ferries infrastructure body CMAL announced in June that it had taken formal ownership of the three vessels as a “precautionary” measure – despite them not yet being completed.
It was previously reported that businesses in the Turkish region were struggling amid challenging global circumstances.
By taking ownership of the MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor and MV Claymore, CMAL hoped to protect its investment in them so it can bring them into use as quickly as possible.
So far, only one of the four ships ordered from Cemre has been delivered. The MV Isle of Islay entered service in March, more than a year later than expected.
In a letter to the Holyrood Transport Committee, CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs said the ferries infrastructure body was working to deliver all three remaining vessels “at the earliest opportunity”.
He said CMAL had maintained a “full site team presence” at the shipyard in Turkey, and he said there were regular visits from CMAL senior management and directors.
“All three vessels are afloat and are all located at Cemre 1 shipyard for the purposes of efficiency,” Hobbs said.
“We are working closely with the shipyard personnel, their suppliers, and subcontractors to achieve delivery of all three remaining vessels at the earliest opportunity.”
