Calmac ferries

[Killingworth]

Well now we know why Glen Sannox isn't the only problem Scots have with their island ferries. Our 2023 islands tour has been determined by what's actually running and has space available. Turned up in good time for Wemyss Bay to Rothesay and find only one boat in service. .Not turn up and go at all! Apparentky this is normal. All their boats are wearing out.

And I thought we had problems with TPE. Using the boats earlier in my life they seemed to run like clockwork. Is everything nowadays so complicated, mechanically, financially and polititically that so many good aspirations aren't' delivered?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well now we know why Glen Sannox isn't the only problem Scots have with their island ferries. Our 2023 islands tour has been determined by what's actually running and has space available. Turned up in good time for Wemyss Bay to Rothesay and find only one boat in service. .Not turn up and go at all! Apparentky this is normal. All their boats are wearing out.

And I thought we had problems with TPE. Using the boats earlier in my life they seemed to run like clockwork. Is everything nowadays so complicated, mechanically, financially and polititically that so many good aspirations aren't' delivered?

Politically, mostly. It's all a symptom of the "race to the bottom" - of wanting everything as cheap as possible. And it's falling apart.

The right way is to determine what public services we want and set taxation appropriately to fund it.

 

[Noddy]

It’s purely political. Since around 2005(ish) successive Scottish Governments have completely failed to invest in new ships. Even before the Glen Sannox/Hull 802 debacle, the only ‘large’ ships that have been (successfully) ordered in the last 20 years were the Finlaggan and the Loch Seaforth, and only a handful of smaller ships have been delivered at the same time. It’s not suprising that things go wrong when you have a severely ageing fleet.

 

[greyman42]

It’s purely political. Since around 2005(ish) successive Scottish Governments have completely failed to invest in new ships. Even before the Glen Sannox/Hull 802 debacle, the only ‘large’ ships that have been (successfully) ordered in the last 20 years were the Finlaggan and the Loch Seaforth, and only a handful of smaller ships have been delivered at the same time. It’s not suprising that things go wrong when you have a severely ageing fleet.

Was their not a problem with the builder (FMEL) not really being up to the task but Sturgeon awarded the contract to them because they were a Scottish shipyard?

 

[DelW]

Well now we know why Glen Sannox isn't the only problem Scots have with their island ferries. Our 2023 islands tour has been determined by what's actually running and has space available. Turned up in good time for Wemyss Bay to Rothesay and find only one boat in service. .Not turn up and go at all! Apparentky this is normal. All their boats are wearing out.

It's far from the Scottish Government's only ferry problem, there's much protest from the Hebrides as well:

Ministers and CalMac warned they are acting 'unlawfully' over ferry service cuts

EXECUTIVES of the state-owned ferry operator CalMac and ministers have been warned they are acting unlawfully in the way that Scotland's ferry…

www.heraldscotland.com

Concerns have surfaced after CalMac chief executive Robbie Drummond attended a heated public meeting on South Uist which has consistently suffered cuts to services as the ferry operator shifts its fleet around to deal with the loss of two ferries.

It is the second week of visits after CalMac decided to cancel ferries between the mainland port of Mallaig and Lochboisdale on South Uist for the whole of June with local businesses estimating a loss of £50,000 per day due to tourism, imports and exports being hit by the cut.

Even the SNP may struggle to blame all this on evil Westminster and the English, though I expect they'll try.

 

[Noddy]

Was their not a problem with the builder (FMEL) not really being up to the task but Sturgeon awarded the contract to them because they were a Scottish shipyard?

As I said that’s been a debacle from the start (I think there’s a separate thread for that?), but even if Glen Sannox and 802 had been delivered with no issues the problem with the Calmac fleet is its age. Twenty years of under investment by the government.

 

[Falcon1200]

The right way is to determine what public services we want and set taxation appropriately to fund it

However, I and many others already pay more tax in Scotland than we would in the rest of the UK, the issue is that Government (of any colour and at any level) cannot necessarily be trusted to spend our taxes effectively; And in Scotland we have had, for the last 13 years, an administration whose number one priority has not been, is not now, and never will be, anything other than their independence obsession. As evidenced by their performance on ferries, and many other areas.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Too much meddling by the Scottish government.

The bits of our Steam Packet work because, although it’s owned by our government, operationally it is left to get on with things. We’ve just taken delivery of a new ferry which, apart from the usual minor teething trouble, has been built on time and on budget. But it was built by Hyundai in South Korea.

The bits that haven’t worked are where the government meddle, including spending the thick end of £100m on a new ferry terminal in Liverpool that was only meant to cost £15m-£20m.

Seems that CalMac haven’t been allowed to just get on with things.

 

[Flying Snail]

Too much meddling by the Scottish government.

The bits of our Steam Packet work because, although it’s owned by our government, operationally it is left to get on with things. We’ve just taken delivery of a new ferry which, apart from the usual minor teething trouble, has been built on time and on budget. But it was built by Hyundai in South Korea.

The bits that haven’t worked are where the government meddle, including spending the thick end of £100m on a new ferry terminal in Liverpool that was only meant to cost £15m-£20m.

Seems that CalMac haven’t been allowed to just get on with things.

The IOM government paid an utterly insane £124m to buy out the Steam Packet company in 2018, far far in excess of any assets they had. It seemed the only justification was holding on to the "Steam Packet". That Portuguese bank must still be laughing at how they got themselves out of that hole.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The IOM government paid an utterly insane £124m to buy out the Steam Packet company in 2018, far far in excess of any assets they had. It seemed the only justification was holding on to the "Steam Packet". That Portuguese bank must still be laughing at how they got themselves out of that hole.

I think the theory was that it was cheaper than a new access agreement with the old management and less disruptive than letting it go bust. Still a lot of money, but also just over half what Macquarie had paid to buy it in 2005.

Having bought it they left them to it though.

 

[156421]

Scilly Isles is in a similar "boat" (ageing fleet and delays to replacements) but this barely makes the news as it isn't about Scotland.

 

[Killingworth]

Scilly Isles is in a similar "boat" (ageing fleet and delays to replacements) but this barely makes the news as it isn't about Scotland.

Same basic issue but only one boat on one route to one small groupn of islands whereas there are many routes to many islands with almost 40 boats in Scotland.

The underlying issue is that of subsidies. I'm sat looking acros a beautiful sea to Skye and Lewis - as a summer tourist. The ferries this month are well used but accounting for an all year service requires massive support. Who pays? What else gives?

As far as Calmac is concerned that's very much an issue for the Scottish national goverment rather than Westminster.

Of course transport subsidies for any geograpical region will always irritate those in areas that feel hard done by.