Hyslop hails ‘milestone’ as work starts at Polish shipyard on new CalMac ferries

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop hailed a “key milestone” as work on seven new ferries to serve Scotland’s island communities officially got under way.

A steel cutting ceremony took place at the Remontowa shipbuilding yard in Gdansk, Poland, at the start of construction of the smaller electric ferries.

It is hoped the new vessels – the first of which is due to be delivered in 2027 – will bolster ferry firm CalMac’s ageing fleet, improving reliability.

The contract to build them was awarded to the Polish yard in March this year after a competitive tendering process.

Ms Hyslop said: “The steel-cutting ceremony marks a key milestone in our plans to improve ferry services, and I look forward to further progress on this and other projects over the coming months.

“The Scottish Government is fully committed to improving our ferry fleet, so I am pleased that construction has officially begun on the first of the seven new small vessels to serve the Clyde and Hebrides network.

“Alongside our significant investment in six new major vessels, these seven smaller vessels will further enhance the resilience and reliability of the fleet.

“Their innovative fully electric propulsion will also deliver key improvements in emissions and local air quality, contributing towards a lower carbon ferry network.”

When completed, the ferries will serve key routes including Colintraive to Rhubodach, Lochaline to Fishnish, Tarbert to Portavadie, Iona to Fionnphort, Sconser to Raasay, Tobermory to Kilchoan, and Tayinloan to Gigha.

Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of CMAL – the organisation which owns CalMac ferries and also the ports they use – said the steel cutting “marks the start of construction for our new fleet of small vessels”.

He added: “Today’s milestone demonstrates progress in our ambitious plans to renew the fleet and future-proof lifeline services.”

Mr Hobbs said the new ferries “will bring increased capacity and the benefits of clean, fully electric propulsion to island and rural communities”.

He also said work is “progressing well”, pointing out that Remontowa has “already successfully delivered ferries for the Scottish network”.

Michal Jaguszewski, director of commerce at Remontowa Shipbuilding, said: “We have worked closely with CMAL and our skilled design teams to ensure production follows a strict timeline.

“We are very satisfied with the progress made so far and look forward to continuing at pace.”