Fiji goes for Scot's shipbuilding revolution after ScotGov 'rejection'

The Herald on Sunday can reveal that the Scot's Queensland-based Sea firm is now involved in a major project with the Fiji government over plans to revolutionise the shipbuilding industry there instead.

And Mr Ballantyne said contracts for the multi-million pound deal have been agreed over the continuing co-operation with Fiji.

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has confirmed that Sea Transport are involved in a plan to "revitalise" the shipyard in Suva, the capital of the island nation, which similarly to the now nationalised Inverclyde shipbuilding firm Ferguson Marine, was a significant source of skills training.

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Ferguson Marine bailout

The Fiji government wants to see the return of skills training "for the nation" in particular for welders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians draftsmen and administrators.

Lying around 1300 miles off northern New Zealand, Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited — and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 7,100 square miles.

About 87% of the total population of 924,610 live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts - either in the capital city of Suva or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi—where tourism is the major local industry; or in Lautoka, where the sugar-cane industry is dominant.

The Fiji government is looking at the construction of two undercover dry docks - which are used for the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft -on the western side of Viti Levu, the largest of the islands comprising the South Pacific nation.

The scheme aims to ensure what the government says is "24-hour dry and cool conditions for workers constructing or repairing commercial, defence and luxury vessels of up to 100 metres in length".

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(From left) Peter Breslin,  Stuart Ballantyne and Professor Alf Baird 

And it has confirmed it has been discussions with Mr Ballantyne's firm over the design of the shipyard and over the supply of kits of their "proven" vessel designs "enabling "fast building and commissioning of vessels". Sea Transport say this is for their catamarans and stern landing vessels.

The government is planning the construction of catamarans for coastal routes aimed at reducing truck traffic and road repairs.

"It is amazing that the Fiji have decided they are sensible designs and chosen us to partner with, while Scotland with a bigger budget and population have not added two plus two," said Mr Ballantyne.

"Fiji want to open two undercover shipbuilding berths and they have signed an agreement with us for all our sea transport designs for catamarans and stern landing vessels, which is very good for defence and military uses."

Mr Ballantyne, who nine years ago received an honorary degree from Strathclyde University for services to the global maritime industry, added: "The Fiji Prime Minister, who is a strong man and a strong Christian will tell you that 'I will go with the Scotsman'.

"If Fiji can add it up and get the answer, then surely Scotland can."

The Clyde Catamaran Group includes Professor Alf Baird, former director of the Maritime Research Group at Napier University was nonplussed by Scotland's failure to grasp the nettle, and said Mr Ballantyne's deal with Fiji follows on from Stuart's earlier successes in helping develop shipyard operations in Vietnam, Indonesia and China based on production of his proven ferry designs.

He said: "Maybe Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has the sense to do what Fiji's Prime Minister Rabuka is doing. Stuart's repeated offer to the Scottish Government still stands - to build his proven ferry designs under license at Ferguson's in Port Glasgow to replace the obsolete Scottish domestic ferry fleet, which urgently needs around 50 new boats.

"Or is the First Minister going to continue with the three times as expensive and unreliable CMAL prototypes, which also require far longer delivery times."

The Clyde Catamaran Group has told ministers that new catamaran ferries for Scotland built over 20 years would cost a fraction of those currently being built.

The consortium had been in talks with ministers and presented a seminar last year over their plans attended by CalMac chief executive Robbie Drumond - but they said last week that there was no tangible interest shown and criticised CMAL's failure to attend in person.

The consortium that also includes Peter Breslin, managing director of Govan Drydock, had been in discussions with ministers about the ferry-building programme to replace the nation’s “obsolete” fleet and breathe new life into Scottish shipbuilding.

They believe CMAL is anti-catamaran - and has decided to stick with monohull boats when ordering new four new ferries from Turkey.   CMAL denies it is anti-catamaran.

A ferry user group official said: "It is shocking to see a Scot getting Fiji on board while being given short shrift in his own back yard.

"The plan would not just have breathed new life into a flagging shipbuilding industry here, but also offered much-needed, cheaper and faster boats which would cut emissions."

The sunk project for 50 catamaran ferries for use by Scottish Government-owned ferry operator CalMac for the lifeline islands services off the west coast of Scotland and for services to Orkney and Shetland would cost £250m more than it has so far cost to build just four in Turkey and at Ferguson Marine in Scotland.

The group said they had expected the savings in operating subsidy to exceed £1 billion over the 20-year build programme period.

CalMac's parent company David MacBrayne Group (DMG) has received nearly £900m in taxpayer subsidies over six years from the Scottish Government to run the ferry services since securing the ferry contract in 2016. The level of handout has soared from £131.939m in 2016/17 to over £163m in 2021/22 including £11.7m in Covid funding.

The Clyde Catamaran Group said it meant that the entire Scottish ferry fleet of some 50 vessels could in "large part" be financed through savings in operating subsidy, "without significant changes in user tariffs or Scottish Government having to find significant additional money".

Under the current rate of ferry delivery under the Scottish Government, 50 ferries would take 140 years to complete.

The scheme involved the building of a further ten vessels for the export market for £200m over the 20 years.

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Stuart Ballantyne's standard 50m catamaran ferry design became part of a 30-vessel Philippines fleet

It was envisaged that the major catamaran project would be based at nationalised Ferguson Marine, Inchgreen dry dock in Inverclyde and Govan dry dock.

The Govan dry dock dates back to the 19th century, and has been out of action for more than 40 years but there are hopes that it can be brought back into use. Govan Drydock has said it wanted to return the A listed dry dock to a fully operational ship repair and maintenance facility.

They said the plan will require a skilled workforce of around 1200 with hundreds more required in the supply chain.

And the group had been seeking public funding through Scottish Government and private investors for the upgrading of Inchgreen and Govan to the tune of £35m and £45m.

A Sea Transport Corp video on stern landing craft.

It comes as the new lifeline vessels Glen Sannox and the so far unnamed Hull 802 which were due online in the first half of 2018 when Ferguson Marine was under the control of Scots tycoon Jim McColl, with one initially to serve Arran and the other to serve the Skye triangle routes to North Uist and Harris, are now over five years late. And the last estimates suggest the costs of delivery could more than quadruple from the original £97m cost.

Currently half of the CalMac fleet is aged over a 25 year life expectancy with the oldest vessel being MV Isle of Cumbrae at 47-years-old.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is committed to delivering six new major vessels to the Calmac fleet by 2026. All options are considered in developing new vessels for particular routes. Procurement of new vessels would need to be undertaken in line with relevant legislation and process, with local authorities responsible for the procurement of their own vessels.”