The cost of repairing and maintaining Scotland’s publicly-owned ferry fleet has almost trebled in the past five years, figures show.
A freedom of information request from the Scottish Liberal Democrats found the cost of fixing CalMac-run ferries in 2018-19 was around £15.5 million.
By 2023-24, that figure had increased to £41.2 million.
Between 2022-23 and last year, the figure almost doubled from £26.6 million.
Repairs and maintenance of ferries has in total cost £147.8 million since 2018-19.
READ MORE: CalMac ferry cancellations a ‘shocking betrayal’ of islanders, say Tories
CalMac has faced criticism in recent years over the reliability of its ageing vessels.
However, six new ferries are due to come into service in the coming years – including two over-budget and late vessels being built by Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the “old and battered” vessels in the fleet require more time and money to repair.
“The SNP’s ferries fiasco has left islanders without the lifeline services they need,” he said. They have been in power for 17 years. There is no-one to blame but themselves.
“This is not just an issue that matters to islanders. People across the country have been shocked by the SNP’s economic incompetence. The SNP have let people down for too long.
“Liberal Democrats want to get the basics right, make sure that islanders have access to the ferries they need, and rebuild our country’s economic reputation.”
Diane Burke, the interim operations director at CalMac, said: “We have always been open about the fact that we have had to invest more heavily in both planned and unplanned maintenance costs in recent years.
“This investment has grown to well over £43 million in 2023, compared with just £20 million in 2017.
“This spend has been essential to maintaining a reliable ferry service to Scotland’s west coast communities, with a third of our fleet of 35 vessels now operating beyond their life expectancy.
“Six major new vessels are due to enter our fleet by 2026, including MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Islay later this year.
“All six will make a massive difference to our service, and new vessels will reduce our maintenance costs.
“These, and the upcoming tender for up to seven new small vessels funded by the Scottish Government, will modernise a significant portion of our fleet and reduce our maintenance costs.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “It is essential from a health and safety and reliability basis that maintenance and repairs are carried out where and when needed.
“With six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network by 2026, this will help alleviate the need for extensive repairs on older vessels. With the recent announcement around procurement of another seven small vessels, the ferry replacement programme will provide more reliability of service which is what islanders need and deserve.”
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