More than £1 million of public money has been spent sending Scottish ferry staff to Turkey to oversee the construction of four new vessels, sparking a heated debate over transparency, necessity, and the future of Scotland’s ferry services. The expenditure, revealed through a recent freedom of information request, covers remuneration, travel, accommodation, and other costs for employees of CalMac and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL)—the two state-owned companies at the heart of Scotland’s nationalised ferry network.
According to figures reported by BBC and corroborated by The Daily Mail and The Herald, the total outlay since 2022 has reached £1,016,162. CalMac, which operates the West Coast ferry service, accounted for the lion’s share, spending £845,981 to send eight staff to the Cemre shipyard in Turkey. CMAL, responsible for procuring vessels, spent £170,181 on five employees. One Ferguson Marine employee was also dispatched, with costs covered by CMAL. The money went not just on flights and hotels, but also meals, car hire, and staff wages—though both companies stress that most salaries would have been paid regardless of the staff’s location.
The Cemre shipyard was awarded contracts in 2022 and 2023 to build four new ferries—MV Isle of Islay, MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor, and MV Claymore—for a combined value exceeding £200 million. The first of these, MV Isle of Islay, was launched in 2024 by CMAL chairwoman Morag McNeill and is due to enter service on the Kennacraig to Islay route in November 2025. The other vessels are scheduled for delivery at six-month intervals after the first. Notably, earlier this year, CMAL spent an additional £10,500 flying ten staff and guests to Turkey for the launch of MV Loch Indaal, highlighting the ongoing commitment to on-site oversight.
This significant spending comes in the wake of a much-criticised episode involving Ferguson Marine, the Port Glasgow-based shipyard that previously built the Glen Sannox and is still working on the Glen Rosa. Those projects, originally budgeted at £97 million, have now soared to a combined cost of £460 million—more than four times the initial estimate—and have been plagued by repeated delays. The so-called “ferries fiasco” has left island communities frustrated by unreliable and outdated services, while Scottish taxpayers have watched costs spiral.
Scottish Conservative transport spokeswoman Sue Webber has been especially vocal in her criticism, arguing that the current situation is a direct result of government mismanagement. "Taxpayers are being forced to foot yet another hefty bill as a result of the SNP’s ferries fiasco," she said, as quoted by The Herald. "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."
Webber’s criticisms didn’t stop there. She accused SNP ministers of betraying both islanders and taxpayers, stating, "The SNP have betrayed islanders and taxpayers at every turn, leaving remote communities reliant on out-of-date vessels and letting costs spiral out of control for hard-pressed Scots." She also called for more robust support for Scottish shipyards, arguing, "SNP ministers, who are responsible for Ferguson Marine, must finally provide the support the yard needs to compete, so that ferries can be built here in Scotland, not abroad."
For their part, CalMac and CMAL defend the necessity of sending staff overseas. A CalMac spokeswoman told BBC, "New vessels are an essential addition to the CalMac fleet and we are very much looking forward to MV Isle of Islay joining us next month. 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 MV Glen Sannox before she joined the fleet."
She further explained that marine and technical specialists, as well as senior crew members, are among those stationed in Turkey. Their duties include implementing crucial safety management procedures and securing the certifications required for the new vessels to operate in UK waters. "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," she added. CalMac also confirmed that typically four staff are on-site at any one time, working in two shifts to meet full-time requirements.
CMAL echoed this justification, emphasizing the importance of on-site presence for quality assurance and supervision. "CMAL is 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 spokesperson told BBC and The Daily Mail. As for the breakdown of costs, CMAL spent £111,230 on transport and subsistence, £5,159 on accommodation, £50,447 on flights, and £3,236 on car hire.
Transport Scotland, the government agency overseeing the network, has sought to reassure the public that these investments are part of a broader strategy to modernize the fleet. "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. 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," a spokesperson told The Daily Mail.
Looking ahead, CalMac is set to welcome thirteen new vessels by 2029, a development the company says will greatly enhance service resilience and reliability for all customers, particularly those in island communities. "Thirteen brand new vessels will be joining CalMac by 2029 and will be of huge benefit to service resilience and reliability, to the benefit of all customers, including island communities," the CalMac spokeswoman said.
Still, the controversy has reignited questions about the future of shipbuilding in Scotland, the efficiency of public spending, and the government’s ability to deliver critical infrastructure projects on time and within budget. While the companies maintain that their spending is justified and within project budgets, critics argue that the saga is symptomatic of deeper issues in procurement and oversight.
As the MV Isle of Islay prepares for its long-awaited arrival, the debate over cost, accountability, and national pride in shipbuilding shows no signs of abating. For the communities relying on these ferries, the hope is that the new vessels will finally bring the reliability and modernity long promised—without further financial storms.
