by Democrat reporter
Seven new electric ferries will serve routes on the West Coast, including the Firth of Clyde and Argyll and Bute.
Progress is being made in the construction of two electric ferries for the west coast network, according to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL).
Seven ferries in total are being built in Poland for CMAL to serve on routes operated by CalMac.
During a ceremony in Gdansk last week the keel, the base around which the hull of a ship is built, was laid for the first vessel and steel cut for the second.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said she was pleased the programme was “progressing at pace”, with the latest work done ahead of schedule.
CMAL said laying of the keel marked a “significant milestone” and the ferry was expected to arrive in Scotland in 2027.
Remontowa Shipbuilding SA is building the vessels under the publicly-funded Small Vessel Replacement Programme (SVRP).
Once completed, the new electric ferries, which will have capacity to carry up to 150 passengers and 24 cars, will be operated by CalMac.
Their names, MV Loch Awe, MV Loch Etive, MV Loch Katrine, MV Loch Maree, MV Loch Morar, MV Loch Rannoch, and MV Loch Shiel, were decided last month by public vote.
The Scottish government said the programme would improve reliability and resilience in lifeline ferry services across the Clyde and Hebrides network.
Good old Poland. And good old Turkey too.
Why would you even try to support jobs in Scotland and build here.
Buikding ships abriad makes so much sense. Scotland doesn’t have the skills.