The SNP's constitution secretary is currently in Spain on a two-day junket while his government have cut budgets for a number of services. One of the two CalMac ferries being built on the Clyde may end up being mothballed, a former UK government minister has warned.Two new ferries are to be dedicated to the Uig-Tarbert and Uig . One classic mobile phone has an average eBay selling price of 1,776.01 here's a list of second-hand phones fetching the highest average prices at online auction and you might even have one lying around for a little Christmas boost. CMAL has said that, to the best of its knowledge, it did not supply the SOTR to Ferguson. The ferries fiasco is emblematic of a culture of incompetent defeatism and buck-passing that is widespread in Scottish public life, but never more damaging than in industrial policy. He labels these intentions as "looking for a sensational angle." Hull 801 and Hull 802, as they were known, were expected to be delivered in mid-2018. [12] By the end of September 2022, only 26% of cables had been replaced. Readers' letters: Driving tests backlog, Princess of Wales's speech about addiction and the impacts of ferries fiasco. [35] The same email trail showed that the final decision was escalated to John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Finance Secretary, before the contract was finally awarded. In addition to major delays and cost overruns, the main contractor Ferguson Marine was nationalised. Angus MacNeil and Deidre Brock both used Croatia as an example of an EU member state that is outside the eurozone, despite the fact the country will join on January 1, 2023, Man charged over double death mystery in Edinburgh tower block, Two men aged 37 and 66 were found dead in the capital's Niddrie district on Tuesday. A report by Audit Scotland published in March cited the absence of a full-refund guarantee as the fundamental issue. The ferry fiasco is an ongoing Scottish political scandal relating to the construction of two ferries (Hull 801 and Hull 802) by the Ferguson Marine Ltd, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of a public infrastructure authority, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government, headed at the time by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party. Union representatives praised Mr Hair for offering permanent contracts to temporary staff, but later became worried by slow progress despite high numbers of highly-paid managers and supervisors being taken on. As well as assessing shipyards' capabilities, it set out the requirement - written in red capital letters - for evidence confirming the yard could provide a Builder's Refund Guarantee, which protects any advance payments issued by the buyer. November 2, 2022, 5:00 pm. The procurement process began in July 2014 with ferry operator CalMac drawing up its Specification of Operational and Technical Requirements (SOTR). In Depth Scotland's ongoing ferry fiasco: what you need to know Delays in the delivery of two new CalMac passenger ferries have caused a major political scandal The Week Staff 13 May 2022. CMAL's assessors later gave the Polish yard a "poor" score, while Ferguson was ranked as "good" in this section of their evaluation. He said this "whetted our appetite" but it was too "messy" to buy the yard at this stage as there were problems, such as debts, which administrators would need to clear up. Old original Sony Playstations, Sega systems and Nintendo consoles can command thousands online and many times their original RRP despite being decades old, Diana Gabaldon gives Outlander season 7 update - and fans might be left frustrated, The US author was asked when the new season would start as fans get impatient waiting to see how Jamie and Claire Fraser are getting on. CMAL blamed the Ferguson shipyard, which missed every milestone date in the contract, except the date on which the first cutting of the steel took place. Emails seen by the BBC show that CMAL's assessors clearly knew the identity of the shipyards they were scoring. Opposition parties argue the Ferguson's fiasco is just one of a series of troubled deals by the Scottish National party government that have put hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers'. A POLISH shipyard is considering a multi-million court challenge over claims a Scottish Government ferries contract was rigged. SNP could have bought 24 ferries using 340m estimated cost of Ferguson Marine vessels, SNP ministers accused of 'omnishambles' as CalMac ferries only on time one day in six, SNP ministers face legal action amid claims contract to build two ferries was 'rigged', Scottish Government unable to confirm if they are preparing for lawsuits linked to Ferguson Marine scandal, Jack McConnell calls for Police Scotland to investigate the SNP's 'rigged' ferry contracts, Penny Mordaunt mocks the Nats as MPs fail to vote in favour of Scottish independence, Oh dear! Ten things we learned about Scotland's ferry fiasco bbc.com 5 Like Comment Share Copy; LinkedIn; Facebook; Twitter; To view or add a comment, . Mackay had left the government in 2020 having been exposed by a tabloid for grooming a schoolboy. He confirmed that the contract should proceed. The retro games consoles that could net you a packet on online: does your old favourite make the list? Ferry fiasco: Slipway slips continue 23 March PA Media A launch ceremony for the MV Glen Sannox was held in November 2017 - but four years later it is still not finished By Douglas Fraser. A year later the business was awarded a 97 million contract to build two ferries, one to serve on the Isle of Arran and replace the MV Isle of Arran, and the second to sail between Skye, North Uist and Harris. The ongoing fiasco with CalMac ferry services is the result of years of mismanagement from the SNP. They provide "lifeline services" to 22 of the bigger islands and on average its 34 vessels complete 466 crossings a day. The Scottish Government has battled accusations of incompetence concerning the whole issue, but now allegations of potential criminality are raised. The First Minister said that Mr Swinneys involvement in the sign-off centred on him being briefed on the decision to award the contract to Ferguson Marine, not as a final rubber stamp. It adds that it may raise significant procurement risks and warned a successful legal challenge could be high and potentially see the contract declared ineffective. It started as farce but is quickly turning into something more ugly, perhaps even sinister. [17], The political disagreements between the parties involved are still ongoing. [31] [32] Former SNP Deputy Leader Jim Sillars accused the Scottish Government of criminal "misconduct in public office" and lodged a complaint to Police Scotland requesting they investigate the missing documents. Scottish Enterprise was aware of its financial problems. Public inquiry call as failure to order fuel sensors for Scots fiasco ferry made it unsafe Nov 1, 2022 - 16:30 0 A FAILURE to build sensors into one of the ferries at the centre of. All rights reserved. Ferguson was also allowed to significantly change its design halfway through the tender by developing a variant mentioned but discounted in its original submission. Jim McColl claimed the contract was rushed through to coincide with the SNP conference in 2015 and the subsequent nationalisation of the yard was also rushed for political purposes. The Scottish Liberal Democrats made the call along with several other demands as the First Minister is set to face MSPs probing the controversial Ferguson Marine ferry deal on Friday.. MSPs on Holyrood's Public Audit Committee say they are keen to "get to the bottom of what . Legal action warning over 'rigged' CalMac ferries fiasco A Polish shipbuilding firm which lost out on a 97 million Scottish Government ferry contract has said its legal team is considering. Ministers now own the yard. It is a relief to see the SNP finally playing catch-up on their decade-old ferry replacement programme, but after the fiasco at Ferguson Marine, no-one be holding their breath for these vessels. [29], A report by Audit Scotland in March 2022 found the total cost to have risen to 240 million. [1] Delays and cancellations in recent years have been blamed by CalMac on aging ferries. Ferguson also uniquely received a 424-page document from a design consultant setting out CalMac's technical requirements, which was not extended to other bidders, who had to rely on a more limited 125-page specification. A year later, the Ferguson yard received a major boost when it won a 97m contract from the SNP government to build the two new ships CalMac needed (and still needs) to replace two ageing ferries: the first to serve the Isle of Arran route, the second, the Uig triangle of Skye, North Uist and Harris. The BBC understands that one issue deterring potential buyers was an underfunded final salary pension scheme. The MSPs' report into the "catastrophic" mismanagement of CalMac ferry building is hard-hitting, but it doesn't end the Ferguson ferry fiasco. SNP MP Deidre Brock repeats discredited claim Scotland can join EU without euro, The SNP MP said that if an independent Scotland were to join the EU, then it would not have to formally adopt the currency, Ian Blackford humiliated in the House of Commons over 'equivalent' renewables energy claim. Scottish ministers nationalised 118-year-old Ferguson Marine after it ran into difficulties building two ferries for CalMac, a state-owned operator that runs services between the Scottish mainland and surrounding islands. But despite the concerns of Caledonian Marine Assets Ltd (CMAL) the public corporation that owns CalMac Scottish ministers signed it off anyway. CMAL warned; "The current rate at which cable is pulled presents a serious threat to the project". It centres on a botched procurement process. Brian Wilson: Islanders have been betrayed by ferries fiasco but so have the workers of Port Glasgow The Herald - Brian Wilson 3h THROUGHOUT the Ferguson shipyard debacle, Nicola Sturgeon has clung to the defence that it was all done with best intentions to "save shipbuilding on Read more on heraldscotland.com Scottish Politics UK Politics A NEW fault with one of the ferries at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco could see it lose its green credentials. Scottish Conservatives transport spokesman Graham Simpson called for a public inquiry into the fiasco. The technology has been used elsewhere in the world, but the Ferguson shipyard ran into trouble. The majority of its 351-page technical submission was cut and pasted from the CalMac document - including the font, numbering and minor errors or typos. Ostergard requested, and was granted, a letter from Scottish Ministers absolving his organisation of blame should the deal go bad. Four days after the face-to-face meeting, Ferguson's architect was sent a full copy of its technical document with issues highlighted in yellow marker pen. Ferries to Orkney and Shetland NorthLink Ferries operate nightly car ferries from Aberdeen in the north east to Lerwick in Shetland, with stops en route on alternative days at Orkney's main port, Kirkwall. Out of the six shipyards that tendered to build the ferries, Ferguson Marine put forward the most expensive bid, at 37 million more than the cheapest. [6], The Scottish Government announced they were signing the contract with Ferguson Marine on the first day of the Scottish National Party Conference in October 2015. On this basis CMAL's finance director approved Fergusons' progression to the shortlist. Nats boast 'Croatia is not in euro' just eight weeks before it joins! Liquefied Natural Gas needs to be stored at -162C and the required tanks and bow thrusters meant each ferry being 200 tonnes heavier than an equivalent vessel. [43], It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "IN DEPTH Scotland's ongoing ferry fiasco: what you need to know", "The problem with CalMac's ageing ferries", "Ferry figures show the Scottish government is sailing in troubled water", "Jim McColl's Ferguson shipyard wins 97m CalMac ferries deal", "Ten things we learned about Scotland's ferry fiasco", "Scotland's ferry fiasco: What went wrong? The former owners hoped workers would be kept on during the change of ownership, but within hours of administration most were made redundant. Catastrophes are piling up one after the other for SNP government Ministers who are now facing a 5 million claim in a dispute over a secret deal that paved the way to the nationalisation of the Clyde shipyard at the centre of Scotland's ferry building fiasco. Ferguson shipyard did not make the shortlist. [4], At the time that contract was awarded there were concerns that Ferguson Marine had not built any ferries of this size in the recent past. [23] Its unnamed sister ship, Hull 802, was expected to be delivered between October and December 2023, however further delays meant that as of September 2022, the ship is not expected to be delivered until the first quarter of 2024. Ferguson, in turn, accuses CMAL of interfering in its work, and moving the goalposts on specifications. One critical aspect is the breakdown of relationships between two of the main protagonists, CMAL, the Scottish government-owned ferry purchasers, and FMEL . CMAL also held an in-person meeting with Ferguson, which was not extended to other bidders. This was to be provided in the form of a banker's letter. The Great Ferries Scandal will be broadcast on BBC One Scotland at 20:00 on Tuesday 27 September. It emerged that windows had been painted on, the bulbous bow was made from flat sheet steel and the funnel not operational. Equal to about 60 million which is totally off the track for what is normal practise for the shipping industry". The unseemly scramble this week by the various Scottish ministers involved in the Ferguson fiasco to duck responsibility speaks volumes. Civil servants waited until he could be briefed before awarding the contract so he could check there were no banana skins. Former bosses at Ferguson shipyard, ministers,. THE ferry fiasco has cost Scotland's taxpayers more than 240m, with no new ships to show for it. Nationalised Ferguson Marine has confirmed . Another requirement was that the ferries would need larger bow thrusters and a stern thruster to make them more manoeuvrable in dock. They may have dismissed the documentary as sensationalist but without it, the Scottish public might never have discovered the true extent of Fergusons preferential treatment. "A lack of transparent decision-making, a lack of project oversight, and no clear understanding of what significant sums of public money have achieved. During a Holyrood inquiry two years ago, CMAL officials said they saw nothing problematic about the same company being used for both roles. CalMac blames its ageing fleet: its ships are, on average, 24 years old; many of its biggest are more than 30. SCOTS ministers are coming under pressure to give a contract to build two new Scots ferries to its own shipyard which is at the centre of the nation's vessel-building fiasco. He wrote: The journalist is looking for sensationalism and will look to you for a critical quote or a contradiction. He then advises Mr Ostergaard that CalMac had agreed with Transport Scotland that they would not participate in the documentary. The vessels are already 150 million over budget and 5 years late. News quiz: What was Erling Haaland blamed for this week? 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