The construction costs for three CalMac ferries being built in Turkey have increased by approximately £20 million due to further delays. Scottish ministers have approved the additional funding to complete the vessels MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor, and MV Claymore.
These three ferries are intended for service on the West Coast to alleviate pressure on CalMac's aging fleet. Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn confirmed the delays in a letter to Holyrood’s transport committee.
"Scottish ministers have continued to liaise closely with officials from Transport Scotland and CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited) throughout this process and consider the actions taken and agreements now in place to be appropriate in order to protect public investment and deliver these much-needed vessels," Flynn stated in the letter.
The expected delivery for MV Loch Indaal is now October 2026, subject to final commissioning and certification. MV Lochmor is anticipated in the first quarter of 2027, and MV Claymore in the second quarter of 2027. The expected delivery date for MV Loch Indaal is approximately 20 months later than originally planned.
When contracts for MV Claymore and MV Lochmor were signed in February 2023, CMAL had projected deliveries for June 2025 and October 2025, respectively. CMAL announced in June that it had taken formal ownership of the three vessels as a precautionary measure, despite their incomplete status. This action was intended to protect the investment and facilitate their eventual deployment.
Previously, it was reported that Turkish businesses faced challenges amid difficult global economic conditions. So far, only one of the four ships ordered from the Cemre shipyard, MV Isle of Islay, has been delivered, arriving more than a year behind schedule in March.
CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs indicated that the company is working closely with shipyard personnel, suppliers, and subcontractors to expedite the delivery of the remaining vessels. Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Tim Eagle expressed that islanders would find the news "bitterly disappointing but also entirely predictable," adding that his party has proposed a plan for a single ferry operating organization that would involve regular ferry construction.