The £41m bill to fix 'battered' CalMac ferries amid island service 'fiasco'

The deepening crisis over CalMac’s ageing ferry fleet has been laid bare by new figures showing maintenance costs have soared by 55 per cent in a year.

Spending on keeping the west coast operator’s vessels going increased from £26.6 million in 2022/23 to £41.2m in 2023/24.

Major work has included to the 31-year-old Caledonian Isles, which has been out of action from the main Arran route since the start of the year, with repairs expected to take until the end of August to complete.

Caledonian Isles has been undergoing major repairs since January | CalMac

The latest annual bill compares to £15.5m in 2018/19. That bill increased from £17.6m in 2020/21 to £28.3m in 2021/22.

The figures were revealed in a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats on Wednesday.

The party’s leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Old and battered boats are requiring more and more time and money to repair.”

He said the figures showed nearly £150m had been spent on repairs and maintenance over the past six years - the length of time passengers have been waiting for two delayed and hugely over-budget new ferries for the main Arran route to Brodick.

Glen Sannox, which is finally due to enter service in October, and sister ship Glen Rosa in the autumn next year, are due to be joined by four new Turkish-built ferries for Islay and Western Isles routes by 2026.

However, CalMac has repeatedly warned over the past two years that things are likely to get worse before they get better until the new vessels arrive because its existing ferries are increasingly prone to breakdown as they get older.

The Scottish Government-owned operator has stressed its fleet has never been worked harder because of increased sailings and traffic fuelled by fare cuts, while vessels have not had their normal mid-life upgrades.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “The SNP’s ferries fiasco has left islanders without the lifeline services they need. They have been in power for 17 years. There is no one to blame but themselves.

“This is not just an issue that matters to islanders. People across the country have been shocked by the SNP’s economic incompetence. The SNP have let people down for too long.

“Liberal Democrats want to get the basics right, make sure that islanders have access to the ferries they need and rebuild our country’s economic reputation.”

Diane Burke, interim operations director for CalMac, said: “We have always been open about the fact that we have had to invest more heavily in both planned and unplanned maintenance costs in recent years.

“This investment has grown to well over £43m in 2023, compared with just £20m in 2017.

"This spend has been essential to maintaining a reliable ferry service to Scotland's west coast communities, with a third of our fleet of 35 vessels now operating beyond their life expectancy. 

"Six major new vessels are due to enter our fleet by 2026, including Glen Sannox and Isle of Islay later this year.

“All six will make a massive difference to our service, and new vessels will reduce our maintenance costs.

“These, and the upcoming tender for up to seven new small vessels funded by the Scottish Government, will modernise a significant portion of our fleet and reduce our  maintenance costs."