CalMac ferries upkeep costs almost triple in five years

These include the two over-budget and late vessels being built by Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow.

The firm has struggled to maintain services with an ageing and increasingly unreliable fleet which it leases from another government-owned agency CMAL.

There have been delays to repairs to the main Arran ferry, cancellation of services to South Uist and islanders on Mull have faced frequent disruption.

Two long-delayed CalMac ferries – destined for the busy Arran route – are being built at a nationalised shipyard, but have faced long delays and increasing costs.

Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow aims to hand over the first ship in the week beginning 19 August.

The latest estimated cost to complete the two ships remains at just under £300m, on top of £83m that was paid out before the firm was nationalised and £45m of government loans that were largely written off.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the “old and battered” vessels in the existing fleet require more time and money to repair.

Repairs and maintenance have cost £147.8m in total since 2018-19.

“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.

He added that the SNP had “let people down for too long”.