Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
I am pleased to speak in support of the motion that was lodged by Jamie Greene on fixing Scotland’s ferry fiasco.
For too long, Scotland’s islands and coastal communities have been treated as an afterthought by the SNP Government. Lifeline ferries are not a luxury or a seasonal extra—they are essential infrastructure. They are the arteries that keep island and coastal economies alive, by connecting people to work, education, healthcare and family.
However, Scotland’s ferry fiasco has been going on since 2014. The two vessels at the heart of the scandal—the MV Glen Sannox and the MV Glen Rosa—were originally budgeted to cost £97 million. Their combined cost has now reached almost £500 million, and both were meant to be in service in 2018-19. Instead, islanders have endured years of delay, disruption and uncertainty.
The MV Glen Sannox finally entered service in January 2025, and it has already required multiple periods of repair. The MV Glen Rosa has been delayed again, with delivery pushed back to the very end of 2026. The most recent delay alone has added another £12.5 million to the cost of completing the vessels, with the total cost since nationalisation of the yard now standing at £197.5 million.
What do islanders hear from ministers? They hear that the Government is carefully assessing the information that is provided, and that the situation is a source of great frustration. However, frustration is not accountability, and careful assessment is not delivery. Not one minister has resigned or taken responsibility. That is why my amendment explicitly notes that the combined cost of the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa has reached almost £500 million. Taxpayers deserve to know how that was allowed to happen and how ministers will ensure that it never happens again.
Yesterday, the Scottish Government announced four direct awards to Ferguson Marine, a programme to upgrade the yard and an intention to return it to the private sector. If that is the strategy, ministers must clearly outline how those new vessels will be delivered on time and on budget. Warm words and press releases will not rebuild public trust.
Meanwhile, CalMac has spent more than £260 million over 11 years maintaining an ageing fleet. In 2024-25 alone, upkeep costs reached £50.1 million—double what they were just two years earlier. The average age of a CalMac lifeline vessel is now more than 25 years. In 1974, the typical ferry was just 13 years old. That is not progress; it is managed decline. Communities such as Dunoon and Ardrossan have faced repeated disruption, yet many local businesses are not eligible for compensation under the islands business resilience fund, despite clearly being affected. That is unfair and must be rectified.
In what I would describe as a very timely announcement yesterday, the Government has also set out its intention to purchase Ardrossan harbour. If that deal proceeds, ministers must provide regular updates on when the purchase will be completed and when the long-overdue upgrade will be delivered, because communities deserve clarity and certainty, not continued speculation.
In Ardrossan, the MV Caledonian Isles was out of action for 20 months for repairs costing nearly £12 million. On Arran, the MV Alfred has been chartered at a cost that has already reached £35 million, which is more than double what it cost Pentland Ferries to build the vessel.