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The Scottish Conservatives have criticised as “excessive” more than £1 million being spent on overseeing the construction of four ferries for CalMac at a Turkish shipyard. A freedom of information request by the party has revealed that the operator and another Scottish Government-owned body have spent £ 1,016,162 on pay and subsistence, accommodation, flights and car hire for 13 staff. The total comprises CalMac spending £845,981 in the year to March for eight staff to be at the yard and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal), which ordered the ferries, spending £170,181 on five staff. However, CalMac said most of the cost would have been paid regardless of whether the crew were in Scotland or Turkey, with just £23,000 spent on travel and subsistence. One employee from the Scottish Government-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow was also sent to Turkey, but their costs were covered by Cmal. The first of the vessels, Isle of Islay, is due to be completed in November, more than a year late because of delays to the supply of materials and other factors outside the control of the Cemre yard in Yalova. Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Sue Webber said the ferries should have been built in Scotland. CalMac’s newest ferries, Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, are being completed by Ferguson Marine up to eight years late and four times over budget due to construction difficulties. The yard was not shortlisted for the contract won by Turkey. Ms Webber said: “It’s a measure of how badly the SNP have mismanaged Ferguson Marine that ferries which should be built on the west coast of Scotland are instead being made in Turkey. Read More: Ferguson Marine seeking direct award to build major new CalMac ferry “After squandering half a billion pounds on the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, ministers have blown another £1m flying staff to Turkey to keep tabs on the ferries being built there. “Some project oversight is understandable after the huge problems with the Ferguson-built ferries, but this level of spending seems excessive.” Subscribe to The Scotsman’s weekly Transport newsletter However, a CalMac spokeswoman said: “Staff and crew have been spending valuable time at the yard in Turkey carrying out vital work to support Cmal with the build process and to ensure that the vessel is built as specified and meets all legal and classification standards. “This is the same as the process involved for Glen Sannox before she joined the fleet. Read More: I sailed on the Glen Sannox ferry for the first time - and there were many pleasant surprises on board “Staff working in Turkey include marine and technical specialists as well as the senior crew who will be responsible for the vessel’s safe passage to Scotland. “Their role includes the implementation of the important processes and procedures required to gain the necessary safety management and other certification needed to operate the vessel in UK waters.” A spokesperson for Cmal said: “We are required on site throughout the build of vessels to provide essential quality assurance and supervision. “Remuneration is the same regardless of the build location, and travel and accommodation costs are standard. “These form part of the overall project budget, which remains on target.” A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We intend to deliver six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network, replacing older vessels and improving reliability. Four of these vessels are currently under construction at the Cemre yard in Turkey and the first of the Islay class vessels is expected to be delivered from November 2025. “As people would expect, CMAL has been and is continuing to work closely with the shipyard to reduce the time between delivery of each of the new vessels where possible. We expect delivery of MV Isle of Islay later this year and MV Lochmor was successfully launched on 23 August 2025 marking another construction milestone.”
