Ferry contracts were rushed for political reasons, says ex-yard owner Jim McColl

The former owner of the Ferguson Marine shipyard has repeated his accusation that the contract for two troubled ferries was rushed through for political purposes, something strongly denied by the Government.

Jim McColl said the shipyard in Port Glasgow would not have taken on the work if it knew of the objections from Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal), the Government-owned company which owns ferries and ports.

He also accused the Government of conducting a “fabulous propaganda exercise”.

Last week, an Audit Scotland report said the contracts for the two unfinished ferries, known as Glen Sannox and Hull 802, were awarded to Ferguson Marine in 2015 despite Cmal’s reservations.

At the weekend, Mr McColl said the contracts were awarded quickly for “political purposes” due to the SNP conference, though the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has since said this is “flatly wrong”.

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme on Tuesday, Mr McColl said: “Had I known at the time that Cmal were strongly opposed to it, I wouldn’t have taken this contract.

“How can you work with a buyer who doesn’t want you to be there?”

Mr McColl, owner of Clyde Blowers Capital, bought the shipyard in 2014, four years before it was nationalised.

Marine engineering experts told him the preparation for the specification of the contracts was rushed, Mr McColl said.

According to Mr McColl, the yard was asked to make constant changes to the design of the two ferries during his ownership.

He said: “There’s been a fabulous propaganda exercise carried out by the Government to try and put the blame of this on to the previous management at Ferguson’s.

“Ferguson’s had absolutely top class management that did a great job, and that’s why I’m speaking out to support them because they are being, I think, unfairly criticised.

“And again, I think this is clearly for political purposes – to put the blame on to them rather than the Government accepting responsibility.”

Mr McColl was asked about the 2017 launch event for the Glen Sannox, attended by Ms Sturgeon, when the windows were allegedly painted on because the ferry was unfinished.

He said: “The windows were covered-up. I don’t think it was paint.

“I think it was a plastic cover on them over the front.”

Following Mr McColl’s comments, Scottish Conservative transport spokesman, Graham Simpson, said: “These are stunning revelations from Jim McColl that pile even more pressure on the SNP Government.

“It’s astonishing that no-one told Jim McColl that the ferries experts, Cmal, had grave reservations about them being awarded this disastrous contract.

“Mr McColl says he would never have agreed to this deal if the SNP had fully informed him of the situation. It turns out that this whole fiasco was avoidable.

“The SNP must respond to Jim McColl’s claims that they signed this deal purely for political purposes and it was agreed by Keith Brown and Nicola Sturgeon, not only Derek Mackay.”

The issue will be raised in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, after a Topical Question from Scottish Labour MSP Neil Bibby was selected by the Presiding Officer.