Ferries agency pays in full for unfinished CalMac ships built in Turkey

Economy, Tourism and Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn said the Scottish government – which owns CMAL – backed the decision.

He said: “CMAL are working at pace to set out the next steps to ensure the ships are available in the CalMac fleet as soon as possible.”

CMAL procures and owns the ships used on the west coast ferry network and leases them to CalMac, which is also entirely-owned by Scottish ministers.

BBC Scotland understands that CalMac has raised about 150 warranty claims against Cemre since MV Isle of Islay was delivered in February.

Despite this, CalMac’s chief executive Duncan Mackison said he was satisfied with the new vessel.

He said: “She has proven to be a valuable and highly regarded addition to the fleet and we will continue to support CMAL and our partners as we move towards completion of her sister ships.”

The Turkish-built ships are smaller and have a more conventional propulsion system than the two dual-fuel ships which CMAL ordered from the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow in 2015.

MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, which is still under construction, are capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) – although CalMac has decided to run Glen Sannox solely on diesel since last July.