The boss of Scotland’s state-controlled ferry operator has been ousted amid a crisis over the late delivery of two new ships that are more than £250m over budget.
CalMac boss Robbie Drummond left with immediate effect after the board carried out a review of the firm’s executive leadership following the delay to the new ferries, which has left it without vital capacity going into the summer season.
Mr Drummond’s departure comes a week after the dismissal of David Tydeman, the head of nationalised Scottish shipyard Ferguson Marine where the vessels are being built. Mr Tydeman was sacked only two years into the job, having warned of further delays to the CalMac project.
The Scottish Conservatives said that Mr Drummond, like Mr Tydeman, had been made a scapegoat by the Scottish government, accusing the SNP of presiding over “utter chaos” in the ferry network while refusing to accept responsibility for the debacle.
Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson said: “Not a single ministerial resignation has been offered over this scandal yet now the head of both CalMac and Ferguson Marine have been fired in the space of two weeks.”
The Scottish government welcomed the change of leadership at CalMac while saying the decision had been taken by chairman Erik Østergaard, who it appointed, in consultation with the board.
Delivery of the two CalMac vessels is already six years late, with the government warning after Mr Tydeman’s exit that the latest holdups were unacceptable.
Scottish taxpayers have been landed with a huge bill for the ferries after the initial £97m budget more than tripled, leading then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to nationalise Ferguson Marine in 2019. The Scottish Parliament’s public audit committee criticised her in a report last year, saying Ferguson had been awarded its contract prematurely.
CalMac’s services between the Hebrides and Scottish mainland have been seriously disrupted by the delays, impacting travel by islanders reliant on ferries for links to the outside world.
Duncan Mackison, the former boss of CalMac holding company David MacBrayne, through which the government controls the ferry firm, has been appointed interim chief executive.
The CalMac board said Mr Mackison’s immediate aim will be to strengthen the operational performance and resilience of the company’s ageing fleet, and to improve communications with customers.
It warned that services will continue to face upheaval until the new vessels finally arrive. The first, the Glen Sannox, appeared ready for delivery in May following positive sea trials before Mr Tydeman revealed the further setbacks.
Both the Glen Sannox and the second vessel, the Glen Rosa, which is scheduled to arrive by September next year, are to be deployed on a route linking the Scottish mainland with Brodick on the Isle of Arran.
CalMac has leased a 430-passenger catamaran ferry until July to provide additional capacity on the Arran run. The delivery delays, combined with repairs to another vessel, mean the Kintyre peninsula will remain without a ferry service.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
