Officials from Scottish Government Deny Allegations of Corruption in Ferries Procurement

6th March 2020

The Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow, Scotland which was nationalised. Scottish Government officials have denied claims of impropriety in the procurement of two ferries. AFLOAT adds above the first of the pair, Glen Sannox, for operator CalMac's Isle of Arran route from Ardrossan. Credit: (File) The Scotsman-twitter

The director of aviation, maritime, freight and canals, Fran Pacitti of Transport Scotland, and head of the ferries unit, Chris Wilcock, rejected the allegations as they appeared before MSPs.

In August last year, the Port Glasgow (Ferguson Marine) yard was saved from administration by Scottish ministers before then finance secretary Derek Mackay announced in December the two ships – 801 and 802 – could be delivered late and at as much as double the original cost.

As part of the procurement process for (Arann & Uig Triangle) ferries, CalMac, Caledonian Marine Assets Limited (CMAL) and the Scottish Government entered into an agreement.

More on the story, The Scotsman reports here

Published in Ports & Shipping

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About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

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