Ferguson Marine misses out on Clyde ferries order – Daily Business

Ferguson Marine has been overlooked for a contract to build two small ferries for the River Clyde, just a month after missing out on another order for seven all-electric ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne.

Privately-owned Western Ferries announced that Cammell Laird, based at Birkenhead, was preferred bidder to build the vessels for its Gourock to Dunoon Route.

The nationalised Ferguson yard, which had hoped to win the contract, described the news as “disappointing”.

The Port Glasgow based firm has no new orders beyond the CalMac ferry Glen Rosa, but is pursuing contracting work on the Type 26 frigates currently being built by BAE Systems in Glasgow.

Western Ferries currently operates four small ferries, two of them built by Ferguson’s in 2001 and 2003 when the yard was privately owned by the Dunnet family.

The other two ferries, Sound of Seil and Sound of Soay, were previously built by Cammell Laird in 2013.

David Dishon, chief financial officer at Ferguson Marine, said: “Having submitted a high-quality bid, this news is disappointing.

“However, Ferguson Marine remains focused on securing new work from a range of sources to build its pipeline.”

The Clyde yard last month missed out on a crucial order for seven small electric ferries. Procurement agency CMAL instead named a Polish firm, Remontowa, as preferred bidder for the small vessels replacement programme (SVRP).

Commenting on the latest contract loss, Scottish Liberal Democrat and MSP for West Scotland region Jamie Greene said: “Things are looking increasingly bleak at Ferguson Marine, as is Scotland’s shipbuilding reputation after a decade of SNP fiascos.

“Every blunder by SNP ministers is another hammer blow to the future of the yard.

“Someone in the SNP government needs to carry the can for this, and come clean about the long term future of this publicly owned asset.”