The 39 year-old Isle of Arran is the oldest vessel in the CalMac fleet.
ANDREW COOKE
The cost of repairs to keep Caledonian MacBrayne’s fleet of more than 30 vessels in operation has tripled in the past decade from £9.5 million in 2011 to £28.6 million in 2021, with a total of over £200 million spent since 2007.
This information comes from a Freedom of Information request by Scottish Conservatives and reveals the extent of rising maintenance costs, with island communities warning members of the Scottish Parliament that the service was in an all-time critical situation. The oldest vessel, Isle of Arran, has been in service for 39 years, and more than half of the fleet have now exceeded their 30-year design budgets.
Conservative MP Graham Simpson said: ’The age of Scotland’s ferry fleet is taking an ever-increasing toll on island communities and the public purse.’ He added that two vessels building at the Ferguson yard are several years behind schedule after running up costs of £250 million and are still months from completion.