A Turkish shipyard has been named as the preferred bidder to build two new ferries for Scotland’s island communities.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (Cmal) has announced it intends to award the contract to the Cemre Marin Endustri AS shipyard in Turkey. There will be a 10-day standstill period until the contract is signed and Cmal will confirm costs and delivery dates following this.
The new vessels will be deployed on the Uig, Tarbert and Lochmaddy routes and will be built to the same specification as the Islay ferries already under construction at the Turkish shipyard. The existing fleet has suffered disruption because of faults, resulting in delays and cancelled services.
