MINISTERS have been accused of withholding vital information about the revised timelines for the delivery of long-delayed lifeline ferries under construction at nationalised Ferguson Marine.
An MSPs visit to the ferry fiasco Inverclyde shipyard was pushed back by nearly three months from January 11 to April 4.
And a Freedom of Information request in January 2022 regarding the updated construction timelines for the stricken ferries, has yet to be answered within the 20 working day target and is now subject to a formal appeal.
The Scottish Government confirmed that their FOI response is “taking longer than expected.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain, the former convenor of the rural economy and connectivity committee which branded the management process a "catastrophic failure" has called out the SNP for their secretiveness over the future of the delayed vessels and their lack of openness in the MSPs visit.
Mr Mountain, who submitted the FOI said: “It’s no secret that vessels 801 and 802 are delayed. However, we are now seeing visits to Ferguson Shipyard delayed and responses to FOI requests delayed too.
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“At a time when island communities need openness and transparency, the SNP government are attempting to hide their failures for as long as possible. Frankly, this behaviour is pathetic and irresponsible.
“Islanders only want to know how much longer they have to wait for new ferries – that’s not a big ask. So, why are the SNP being so secretive?"
The state-owned ferry operator CalMac is having to handle an ageing ferry fleet with new lifeline vessels MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802 still languishing in Port Glasgow as the costs of their construction have more than doubled from the original £97m contract and delivery is nearly five years late.
The debacle led to shipyard firm Ferguson Marine led by tycoon Jim McColl, who first rescued the yard going bust, leading to a Scottish Government takeover.
Last month it emerged that issues with short cabling are set to further delay and increase costs over the two green vessels at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco.
It was found on Christmas Eve that some of the electrical cable coils on one vessel were too short to reach equipment.
After a survey it was found that there were at least 400 problem cables - and a worse case scenario of 939 cables.
The analysis from former turnaround director Tim Hair reveals that addressing the problem is a "time-consuming process" that will further delay the project to deliver the Glen Sannox which was due to serve on one of Scotland's busiest crossing, the Ardrossan to Arran service in May, 2018.
He said it would also further delay the completion of the second vessel known as Hull 802 which was also supposed to be sailing in July, 2018.
Mr Hair said that at the time it was "not possible" to determine the impact on schedule and cost.
In January, serious questions were raised over the viability of both vessels as it emerged key hull features had been left off seven years after the design was completed.
Mr Mountain added: “It’s been nearly a month since the SNP covernment announced that cabling issues would again delay the completion of 801 and 802. So surely, the transport minister must have received the revised timetable by now? This information should not be withheld.
“It’s also deeply concerning that MSPs like myself have had visits to the shipyard cancelled at short notice and rescheduled to later in spring.
“This secretiveness cannot continue. Islanders deserve to know the truth.
“The SNP government must set out the full-scale of the delays impacting the construction of these vessels.”
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Ministers carried out a takeover after Jim McColl-led Ferguson Marine went into administration in August, 2019 following a dispute with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) - the taxpayer-funded company which owns and procures ferries for the Scottish Government - over the construction of the ferries under a £97m fixed price contract.
Ferguson Marine said there had been "unforeseen complexities" with the project, leading to soaring costs of the ferry contract - which have now more than doubled.
Ministers believe they were acting in the public interest in taking control of Ferguson Marine, as it saved the yard from closure, rescued more than 300 jobs and ensured that the two vessels under construction will be completed.
The two new dual-fuel ferries, which were meant to be identical, were once hailed as a step towards a greener future for Scotland's state owned CalMac ferry fleet as they were to be the first UK-built ships capable of running off liquefied natural gas, or LNG, as well as conventional diesel.
Mr Hair, who was appointed after the shipyard went into administration in 2019 has been replaced by a new chief executive David Tydeman, who has worked for several decades in the marine, shipbuilding and offshore industries.
Mr Hair, who was charged with implementing a major transformation programme for the troubled shipyard, which recently missed out on an order to build two new CalMac ferries insisted in December that the ferry delivery schedules remained on track.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The MSPs’ visit to the yard in January was postponed due to the rapid emergence of the Omicron variant. It has been rescheduled for the earliest mutually suitable time in April 2022.
“The information requested by Mr Mountain is due to be published shortly.”
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