Scottish ferries

[John Arton]

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...-crisis-sinks/
Seems the saga regarding CALMAC replacement ferries is rumbling on.
Rgds
J.A

[Marian Gray]

Absolutely typical John a monumental kilts up by you know who! Including Calmac, Cmal, Ferguson Marine etc etc, Scottish Government agencies all! Not one will put their head above the parapet and risk their perceived status/pension. None of them fit for purpose

[James Curry]

Cal Mac are right to say no the Catarmarans Those that Stena had spent more time tied up alongside either due to weather or having cracks welded up under deck and pontoons. They should have a word with the IOM steam packet company they have just had a new ferry delivered from Korea more or less on time and on budget. Bloody disgrace the Ferguson calamity.

[vic mcclymont]

One thing James we never find who is responsible for the ferries fiasco.
Papers have conveniently been lost to protect desk jockies.
Sturgeon started the rot, the original price quoted by Ferguson was £104m each, she announced to all and sundry the build costs would be £97.
For reason during initial build Cmac refused to meet with Ferguson management.
Draw your own conclusions.
Vic

[James Curry]

I am not that well up on the Calmac /Fergusons/ SNP calamity. There is no other way it looks but a calamity from an outsiders stand point.
I watched a programme on BBC Scotland a couple of nights ago about Calmac and the training of new crew members. It was interesting and some of the footage showing the ferries entering and leaving ports around the Islands some great scenery. I would imagine a pretty busy time though especially on the smaller ferries Island hoppers. There was a film clip showing one ferry in some pretty nasty weather. Those ferries are a life line to those who live on some of the smaller Islands. A lot of the kids looked to be enjoying the survival training and the fire fighting course (brought back memories).
I do not know what the answer is but I would suggest those two ferries at Fergusons be removed and taken to another yard. Bite the bullet and get them into service. One ferry is already 40 years old . I think the nearest ferry is 9 years old . Maybe you can get away with an aging fleet in a kinder climate but those are hard worked ships.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I hope that Korean Ferry wasn't built by the same Company that built the Sydney ferries, they are still tied up after about three years, can't go under the bridges on the Paramatta river with passengers on the top deck, unless one wants to be beheaded, Helmsman can't see out of the windows, can't go into revers, cracks now appearing, and they cost a fortune, the former N.S.W. Premier who stood down over other shyster things has been before the Crime commission, and it's not yet finished with.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

No worries Des, we have new ones on order here in Victoria and no doubt they will arrive one day.
Maybe NSW gov can buy our old ones then!!!!

[James Curry]

Des do not think you can blame the ship builder for the air draft under the bridges think that is down to the clown or port official who ordered the things in the first place.

[Tony Taylor]

Des do not think you can blame the ship builder for the air draft under the bridges think that is down to the clown or port official who ordered the things in the first place.

Bit like the Spanish official who placed the order for trains that were too big to go through rail tunnels

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Our ferries used to be built in Leith, one I worked on was built there in 1932 and still in good shape, now she has been retired. N.S.W.s ferries since then were then built here in Newcastle, the trains built in Sydney, nothing wrong with them, some still running after 30 years, then came the overseas Companies who built them for double the cost, had to make a profit to pay the rotten officials and MPs, the Spanish trams all, every one of them broke apart as soon as they went on the tracks, would you believe that they sued the N.S.W. Gov't for one $Billion because they were not told about some Electricity wire that were buried on the route, nothing said about the cost of repairs to the trams.
Des