Island communities have been let down by a Scottish Government which “paints on windows” on boats and allows shipbuilding jobs to go overseas, Labour leader Anas Sarwar claimed.
It follows advice to islanders on Colonsay and Islay who were told “only travel on Scotland’s ferries if it was necessary”.
Mr Sarwar challenged First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at Holyrood on the country’s “ancient” CalMac fleet.
The ageing vessel, he said, was currently stuck in dry dock awaiting repair and the entire fleet was in “urgent” need of replacement.
Despite this, and the Ferguson Marine yard being under Scottish Government ownership, the tenders for future shipbuilding contracts had gone overseas, to either Romania, Poland or Turkey.
Ships destined for routes to Arran and a second between Skye, Harris and North Uist, under construction at the Port Glasgow yard are years behind schedule and over budget.
Ferry firm is on ‘a journey’
Ms Sturgeon defended her government’s involvement with Ferguson’s, arguing they had rescued hundreds of jobs and helped the company on “a journey” to winning contracts to build Scottish boats in future.
She said: “This government has protected shipbuilding jobs in Scotland.
“Without the intervention of this government, Ferguson would not still be open, operational and there are hundreds of people currently employed there who would not be employed at Ferguson’s.”
She added: “These are procurements bound by rules and regulations.
“Ferguson’s is on a journey back to recovery. Its focus right now, as indeed the opposition has regularly called for it to be, is making sure the two ferries which are currently delayed is completed and the work that is underway at Ferguson’s will allow them to compete for new contracts in the future.”
‘Failed’
Mr Sarwar said people on Scotland’s islands wanted ferry journeys, rather than hear about the “journey” Ferguson’s was on.
He added: “Scotland’s ancient CalMac fleet urgently needs to be replaced and there are jobs across our country that need to be protected.
“But Nicola Sturgeon has somehow managed a system where a Scottish yard, supporting Scottish jobs and owned by the Scottish Government failed to even make the shortlist to build ferries for Scotland.
“That a Scottish Government-owned company can’t win a Scottish Government contract to build ships is a national scandal that is now an international humiliation.
“This government has no strategy to expand services, no fleet to meet Scotland’s needs and no plan to fix the problem.”
He said the current ferry firm set-up is not working and must be replaced.
“But it isn’t just ferries which highlight the failure of the Scottish Government,” he continued.
“We’ve seen them create jobs for China providing steel for the Queensferry crossing, jobs for Indonesia supplying wind turbines.
“And now jobs for Turkey, Romania or Poland to provide our ferries.
“It is time for the First Minister to – in her own words – ‘come down on the side of a Scottish industry, a Scottish shipyard and Scottish jobs’.
“Because the harsh reality is the only thing being manufactured in SNP Scotland is grievance.”