The UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps has intervened in a row over the shipyard which the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG) has decided to order a contract with a French firm for its new fleet.
In a letter written, BBC News Cornwall reports, sent to the Council of the Isles of Scilly, Mr.Shapps had said he was "dismayed" by the actions of the group.
As Afloat previously reported, the ISSG which is the sole operator to the archipelago off Cornwall, has opted to use French shipbuilder, Piriou based in Concarneau, Brittany for the multimillion-pound contract totalling £42 million. The newbuilds, however will be built through one the group's shipyard's in Vietnam, Asia.
Private finance has been secured by the ISSG which it said meant that they would introduce new vessels, a passenger ferry and cargo ship to be in service in 2026, using its preferred supplier.
In response to the Defence Secretary’s correspondence, Isles of Scilly Councillor Steve Sims said the letter from Mr. Shapps was "quite surprising".
The councillor added: "I've seen lots of ministerial letters and this was very, very forthright."
In the letter, written in the Secretary’s capacity also as the government's shipbuilding tsar and addressed to chairman of the Isles of Scilly council, Mr. Shapps appreciated "how vital the lifeline passenger and freight services" were to the islands’ communities and businesses.
The veteran vessel, Scillonian III dating to 1977 is a 'seasonal' passenger ferry, along with Gry Maritha built in 1981, provides freight services. Both are in need of replacement by the ISSG. While shipbuilder, Harland and Wolff (H&W) also have plans to provide replacement vessels.
Further coverage here on the intervention by the UK cabinet minister.
