Exclusive:CalMac chief hails hugely-delayed ferries as 'among best in Europe' but admits major service failings
The new man at the helm of struggling operator CalMac has hailed its "absolutely fantastic" new ferries which he said would help transform its reputation when they arrive.
Duncan Mackison told The Scotsman of his "optimism and excitement" over the impending arrival of the six large vessels - while also revealing the scale of major CalMac service shortcomings linked to the removal of his predecessor Robbie Drummond in April that were still being fixed.
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Hide AdThe interim chief executive is appointing nine new area managers to improve communications with passengers after staff cutbacks left islanders feeling their concerns were not being heard.


Mr Mackison, in his first full interview since being appointed to the Scottish Government-owned firm, also admitted there was still a “long list” of improvements to be made to CalMac’s troubled new booking system, which should have been fully operating last year.
The former Royal Marines officer said the arrival of hugely-delayed Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa from Ferguson Marine, along with four ferries from Turkey within the next two years, would see nearly half its large ships replaced.
He said: “I think there are pretty good reasons for optimism and excitement about those new vessels coming on board. Even if we continue to have some challenges with the older vessels, those will be less impactful when there are more new vessels in the fleet.”
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Hide AdSeveral of those ageing ships have undergone prolonged repairs, stretching the network to the limit.


Mr Mackison said: “From what I've seen of the new vessels, they look absolutely fantastic. When they are seen out on the network, people will start to get a very different impression, and confidence will grow.
“When you go on board, it's a modern environment and they're well thought through. People will find them comfortable places to be.
“They are up there with the best types of ferries in terms of customer accommodation facilities that you would find anywhere else in Europe. I think people will appreciate that.”
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Hide AdMr Mackison said he would be “very surprised” if Glen Sannox suffered any further delays, despite being six years late and its delivery being put back yet again this month, by six weeks to the end of September.


He said: “We get sight of the things that are left to do, so that gives me the grounds for optimism that [it is] going to be with us in the near future.
“My personal level of confidence, because I'm quite close to what the issues are, is that it's not far away.”
Mr Mackison said the vessel was due to be deployed on the main Arran route between Troon and Brodick as soon as some two months’ of CalMac trials were completed, likely around December.
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Hide AdKevin Hobbs, chief executive of Scottish Government-owned ferry owners Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, said the “acid test” prior to those was a 12-hour endurance trial next month which would run the ship “exceptionally hard”.
He said: “If anything were to go wrong, that's when it will go wrong, but we're not anticipating that.” Berthing trials at both harbours on the route will also be made.
Mr Mackison said fixing the local managers gap and booking system were crucial to CalMac being awarded a new contract by ministers next year after its current one was extended pending such improvements.
Returning to CalMac in April having previously chaired its parent firm David MacBrayne, he said he had discovered CalMac “wasn’t close enough” to the people it served because the number of area managers had reduced over the years.
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Hide AdHe said: “One of the first things I did was to go out and speak to lots of communities to try and understand their concerns.
“There was a very consistent message: ‘We can't see you frequently enough locally, and when we have concerns, it's difficult for us to pass them on to you, and we feel as though when we talk about issues, we are on the back foot straight away’.”
Mr Mackison said the number of area managers will be doubled from three to six, along with deputies, “with the express remit of dealing with local communities and understanding their requirements and getting ahead of issues. “The role of the deputy is to focus on standards, performance, training and quality, and make sure we get the basics right at a local level because I also noticed quite a lot of variation.”
He said it had been met with a “resounding positive response” and nearly 230 applications had been received.
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Hide AdMr Mackison said that, together with the new vessels, meant “we can start to look forward with a significant amount of optimism”.
However, he admitted the introduction of the new booking system last year “did not go smoothly” - and laid bare how much work was still required over the next nine months.
He said this included a “much more modern app” for easier payment and downloading tickets, a fifth software update and a new staff training centre.
“We are focused on improving the system and getting it to operate as efficiently and effectively as we can.
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Hide Ad“There's a long list of improvements and updates which we are working our way through.”
Angus Campbell, chair of the independent Ferries Community Board, said it “very much welcomes the move to more local decision-making and increased interaction with communities.
“This has been an ask for many years. We look forward to seeing these appointments making a difference and being part of a wider culture change in the relationship between decision makers and our communities.
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Hide Ad“The more decision makers live and work in our islands the better the outcomes should be for islanders, front line staff and the wider provision of lifeline services.” Bill Calderwood, secretary of the Arran Ferry Committee, said: “We welcome the intention to drive the business to be more operation based. It is also anticipated the new roles will have more direct decision-making to drive faster service improvements.”
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