PASSENGER numbers on CalMac's beleaguered ferry services are over 800,000 down on pre-pandemic levels despite Scottish Government assertions that the network is carrying "far more" passengers than ever before, it can be revealed.
The latest annual passenger numbers seen by the Herald show that in 2022 there were 4,928,236 people carried on ferries operated by Scottish Government-owned CalMac compared to 5,686,042 in 2019 - before the travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
The latest passenger numbers are actually the lowest outwith the key Covid pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 when there were widespread travel restrictions since David MacBrayne Limited (DML) won the £900m ferry contract to operate the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) Scottish Government in 2016.
CalMac confirmed on August 3, 2021 that the number of passengers that could be carried on board ferries returned to normal levels after the First Minister said that official physical distancing guidelines were being lifted.
READ MORE: New delays over Scots 'fiasco' ferries after safety regulator audit
The drop in passengers emerged after transport minister Fiona Hyslop asserted that CalMac carries "far more" passengers than ever before.
Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain said he intends to raise questions about Ms Hyslop's assertion at the Scottish Parliament.
"I would say that what the answer proved is that the minister is completely out of her depth when it comes to talking about ferries," said Mr Mountain, convener of Holyrood's transport committee.
Ms Hyslop had sought to defend the record of the Scottish Government at the Scottish Parliament last week as it emerged that two vessels at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco were to carry nearly 300 passengers fewer in total than contracted for to meet safety standards.
The two long-delayed and over-budget lifeline ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa were both due to hold up to 1000 passengers when they eventually come into service.
But to secure a safety certification and approvals from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which is responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy, the maximum carrying capacity is set to be cut to 852.
It is said to be required to allow for improved passenger seating layouts.
Ministers have said that a reduced passenger capacity is expected to be accepted through contract amendments.
But the extra work to meet MCA standards has led to a further rise in costs and delays to delivery.
The capital costs of the two ferries is now estimated to be approached £370m - although this does not take into account the taxpayer millions that are pumped into Ferguson Marine for running costs.
Ms Hyslop spoke out last week after being quizzed over the status of the ferries by the Mr Mountain, the former convenor of the rural economy and connectivity committee whose probe into the construction of the ferries for CalMac branded the management process a "catastrophic failure".
READ MORE: Taxpayer millions 'lost' in new ferry fiasco 'farce'
The Scottish Conservative told Ms Hyslop: "Islanders have not accepted there is going to be less passengers and the fact that we're in this situation is because Ferguson Marine only spoke to the Maritime Coastguard Agency in June of this year, about whether the boats met the specification that they set out, based on 2016 dated regulations. So what we've got is late ferries, under capacity and over budget."
Ms Hyslop responded: "What they (islanders) want is to have resilience in the fleet.
"What they don't want are speculative headlines that undermine the understanding that the vast majority of ferries in Scotland do run to time that there are far more passengers being carried than ever before. And there are far more routes than ever before. That doesn't help when there are issues and we're going into a period of dry dock which will put more pressure on the system."
Nationalised Ferguson Marine has said it has had to make "significant changes" to the designs for the stairwells and passageways to secure safety certification.
The new design affects the passengers and crew areas on three decks.
But concerns were raised that regulatory clearances for the two fiasco ferries at Ferguson's were not made in good time - after it emerged they failed to comply with safety rules that were seven years old.
Safety clearances for both ferries were rejected on June 1, sparking a redesign and leading to the changes which led to cuts in passenger capacity for both vessels.
A ferry user group official said: "I fully understand the need to talk up the positives with regard to our ferry service which has taken a battering because we have a fleet that is currently not fit for purpose because of poor forward planning on behalf of the Scottish Government to ensure the investment was there early enough to deal with it.
"But to try and spin the numbers regarding carried passengers to paint a picture that all is okay is foolhardy at the very least.
"What we should be doing is asking why the latest annual carrying figures show that passenger numbers remain considerably down on pre-pandemic levels."
It came as new concerns surfaced over the delivery of Scotland's ferries after the Scottish Government's ferry owners and procurers CMAL indicated they will not accept delivery if not fully dual fuel.
There have been questions from within nationalised Ferguson Marine about whether issues regarding the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) could be a risk to the project.
The two lifeline ferries, Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa were to be able to operate on LNG which the Scottish Government ferry owners and procurers Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) said was "significantly cleaner and will help to reduce emissions to meet ambitious Scottish Government targets".
After a series of issues with the 'green' fuel, Ferguson Marine's chief executive David Tydeman said in his latest update that while steady progress was being made with the LNG system "we still have some risks associated with the final installation of the special, low temperature pipework by the contractor".
It has emerged that CMAL has said that it won't take delivery unless the LNG system is working.
In a May update, Ferguson Marine's ship delivery director Andy Crossan said that at that point they did not have approval on the LNG system and were "working with contractors to de-risk".
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The reference from the minister in the chamber related to the growth in passenger and vehicle volumes over a longer period that have resulted in the need for additional capacity that will be provided through investment in new vessels. This includes the new vessels for Arran, new vessels for Islay and the move to a two vessel summer service on the Little Minch Routes.”
The Scottish Government agency said they expected 2023 to be a "record year" adding that passenger and vehicle numbers using the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles ferry services routes "increased steadily from around 2012/2013, peaking in 2019, prior to the impact of Covid 19 restrictions".
CalMac said they were in a period of recovery in 2022 following the Covid pandemic, but passenger numbers were now continuing to grow.
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