Unreliable ferries risk becoming 'existential threat' to island communities, warns report

A Holyrood committee said ministers should commission ‘comprehensive study’ into building tunnels and bridges

Picture: Mn28/Wikimedia Commons

Unreliable ferry services risk becoming an “existential threat” to island communities in Scotland, a Holyrood committee has warned.

A new report by the net zero, energy and transport committee called for long-term strategic thinking and investment, as well as a shake-up of existing power structures.

Among dozens of recommendations, it said ministers should commission a "comprehensive study" into building tunnels and bridges to replace ferries on certain routes. This should examine the “viability, cost and potential savings of fixed links in appropriate locations across Scotland”, it said.

State-owned CalMac’s ageing fleet has come under renewed pressure after it cancelled sailings to South Uist for most of June. Meanwhile, two new ferries being constructed at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow are years late and massively over budget.

Concern over ‘churn’ of ministers

The report raised concerns about the “churn” of transport ministers, with three different post-holders within 18 months. Jenny Gilruth – now Education Secretary – held the role from January 2022 but Kevin Stewart was given the brief in March following Humza Yousaf’s appointment as First Minister. However, he resigned earlier this month for mental health reasons, with Fiona Hyslop selected to replace him.

The report said communities need “a champion in government with the knowledge, experience and staying power to push through the reforms and improvements the sector now urgently needs”.

It noted: “Far too many ferry services in Scotland are unacceptably unreliable. This is causing real damage to communities, particularly those dependant on Clyde and Hebridean ferry services. For more fragile island communities, consistently unreliable services risk becoming a literal existential threat.”

Ferries Scotland

Elsewhere, it said that to avoid further disruption, it would support a direct award of the next contract to provide ferry services to CalMac for an extended period of 10 years, but said “real improvements” must follow.

It also asked the Scottish Government to consider creating a Ferries Scotland arm of Transport Scotland to streamline decision-making.

Edward Mountain, the committee convener, said there had been eight transport ministers over the last 11 years, adding: “And that level of churn has caused the crisis that we’re facing at the moment.”

He said: “The report we have published today is extensive but overall, we hope it will have a positive impact on the forthcoming island connectivity plan and help pave the way for a ferry service that is future-proofed, compatible with Scotland’s net zero goals and above all, meets the needs of islanders.”

‘Transformative effect’ of Faroe tunnels

The report said some members of the committee had met with delegates from the Faroe Islands last year and heard of the "transformative effect" of tunnels on previously isolated and declining communities.

It said stakeholders on Shetland had advocated fixed links to replace several inter-island ferry services, while Highland Council suggested a bridge was a long-term ambition to replace the Corran Ferry.

The report said: "The committee recommends the Scottish Government commission a comprehensive study into the viability, cost and potential savings of fixed links in appropriate locations across Scotland. It should work with local authorities to build on the experience they have developed in initial scoping exercises to identify sites.

"The review must consider an assessment of increased costs of transfer of traffic to roads where available were ferry or fixed link ruled out. Auditing the environmental and carbon emission benefits and disbenefits must be a key element of any such studies.

"The committee recommends the Scottish Government provide an update to the committee on the timescales for its investigation of fixed links in the sounds of Barra and Harris and between Mull and the mainland. This should include an update on community engagement.”

Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Mountain said: “What people on islands need is the ability to know they can get from A to B, and off the island in case of emergency or just to do things – and therefore anything that is permanent and not affected by the weather, or the vagaries of engines and mechanical propulsion has got to be a good thing.”

He added: “We need to work these things out. They might be a bit more expensive, was what the committee felt in the short-term, but in the long-term they'd probably work out cheaper.”

‘Certainly not pie in the sky’

Last year Iain Stewart, who was then a Scotland Office minister, said a network of tunnels between Scotland's islands should be considered as a "viable" alternative to ferries. He said the Faroe Islands – where the world's first undersea roundabout opened in 2020 – show what can be done.

Andy Sloan, a leading engineer, said the idea was “certainly not pie in the sky”, adding: "From a technical perspective, building these tunnels is relatively straightforward.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scottish ministers welcome receipt of the report and thank the committee for its detailed work. In particular we support the strong emphasis the committee placed on hearing from the communities who use the services and we agree that the voices of ferry users need to be a focus of future ferries policy and investment. We will carefully consider the recommendations of the report and respond to the committee in due course.”

The new report came as the BBC published fresh concerns about the procurement of the two ferries being built at Ferguson Marine. Emails from 2014 show ministers and officials checked the yard would be in a position to bid before the process started.

The Scottish Government said it wanted to “maximise competition for these contracts”, but the Conservatives said the behaviour seemed “unusual during a procurement process” and pointed to concerns over “preferential treatment”.