The myth of Scotland’s aging ferries and ‘Scotland’s leading you up the creek journalist on the issue’

The Herald’s Martin Williams self-described ‘leading journalist on the issue‘ of ferry reliability even has his own newsletter dedicated to fuelling the fake ferry fiasco but when you click on the links you get under the heading SCOTLAND’s FERRIES, one story on bicycles, one on 20 minute neighbourhoods and a fight in Falkirk, one story on trains and two on air travel.

Impressive start, eh?

Anyhow, it’s all about the ‘breakdowns of its ageing fleet.’

There’s a problem or two here. They’re not ageing nor are they breaking down much compared to other comparable fleets.

Ageing first:

  1. In terms of age, interesting in the light of media headlines here, Scotland’s ferries are the newest with an average of 22 years, with Australian ferries at 24, Norwegian at 26 and the Canadian ferries at 35! https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/strategic-framework-of-options-for-the-chfs-network-project-neptune/benchmarking/
  2. 7 former and pretty elderly CalMac ferries are still running in one of the most affluent countries in Europe, Ireland. MV Eigg (1974) Clare Island Ferries MV Kilbrannan (1972) as above, renamed MV Clew Bay Queen, MVs Rhum, Canna, Coll & Morvern, (1974/1975) Arranmore Ferries. MVs Kyleakin & Kyle of Lochalsh (1970), Carrigloe crossing, County Cork. Source: You can find them all on wikipedia.
  3. In British Columbia, Canada: The 47 year-old replacement ferry, the MV Queen of Alberni, is also ‘in the shop’ experiencing mechanical problems with its main engine, forcing several sailings to be cancelled: https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2747831
  4. In Greece: MV Orion (formerly MV Saturn, Scottish Gaelic: Satharn, and MV Orcadia) is a ro-ro passenger and vehicle ferry. Saturn was operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland between 1978 and 2011, for the first decade of her career on the Rothesay crossing. In 2021 she was sold to Creta Cargo Lines, Greece, renamed Orion, and towed to Perama for conversion to increase freight capacity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Orcadia

On breakdowns:

  1. CalMac is operating at 95.4% average reliability with currently more than 500 sailings and not one destination with no sailings: https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser
  2. In Canada last week, three ferries breakdown in quick succession but no one blames the government: https://biv.com/article/2023/08/resilience-put-test-bc-ferries-tries-cope-high-traffic-staff-shortages-vessel
  3. In Canada in July, BC Ferries cancel 1 163 sailings due to staff shortages https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2023/07/13/BC-Ferries-Cancelling-Sailings-Jobs/. CalMac pays the Living Wage: https://www.calmac.co.uk/article/5037/Caledonian-MacBrayne-named-as-the-Living-Wage-Foundations-Scottish-Champion-2016

Other factors:

  1. Turkey ferry building: 25 deaths in the last 11 months at Tuzla, on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-shipbuilding-eu-idUKL2424720320080710
  2. Turkey ferry building: According to TIB DER, around 100 workers have died on shipyards since 1985, fifty alone since 2001: https://m.bianet.org/kurdi/health/104852-how-many-more-shipyard-deaths
  3. Subsidy per passenger: In Scotland, it averages £29.80 per passenger journey. In Canada (BC), it is only just over half at £16.36 and in Australia, only just over one-tenth at £3.86. https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/strategic-framework-of-options-for-the-chfs-network-project-neptune/benchmarking/

You’d think the leading journalist on the issue might know some of this stuff.

10 thoughts on “The myth of Scotland’s aging ferries and ‘Scotland’s leading you up the creek journalist on the issue’”

  1. WOW , that is fantastic work sir , you have blown their argument out of the water this is such a good report you have put together we must refer to it every single time these hare brains at the Herald , Scotsman , Labour Party Conservative Party , SDP and BBC Scotland criticise Scottish ferries.

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  2. There are four ferries on order. More than there has ever been. Two will be saving £Billions in fuel. Due to the rise in staycations because of COVID and better weather. There was only one built a year previously.

    There are only about 1400 Airbnbs in Edinburgh & Glasgow. 2 million pop. All booked up. Look up the website. Hotels are much more expensive for a family reunion, A cheaper budget option. Those on a limited budget will lose out. A sledge hammer to crack a nut. Losing tourist revenues.

    Tourism brings in £Billions to Scotland. Enough to build more affordable accommodation and houses on the increased revenues. Taxes etc.

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    1. Part of the issue is that a lot of the money from hotels, air BnB etc, certainly in the central belt does not end up in Scotland. A considerable number of the hotel chains and property companies are not locally owned and the profits go elsewhere and the tax goes to the UK coffers. The costs for licencing an Air BnB will not make the business untenable, it will reduce its profit certainly in the first year. The tourist tax is required to help the cities and rural areas coffers. Major cities in Europe licence Air BnBs and have tourist taxes and their tourist numbers have not dropped. However, as usual, in Scotland uniquely, any change will bring the apocalypse

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  3. Martin Williams seems to be on about a non CalMac ferry now with the hope that the SiU acolytes who seem to primarily make up his audience, will not know the difference. I suspect they don’t care as they still “like” 100 times in a few seconds, funny that.

    Does anyone know if the Herald actually pays him or is it a hobby of his gone horribly wrong.

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  4. Martin would officially “..know some of this stuff” were his continued income not dependant on not publishing it.

    The ageing fleet angle is probably more to invite reflection on the FMEL fiasco, which IMHO involved more than a degree of skullduggery once it was contracted.
    I had meant to observe on this point before, but it can take many years of preparatory work before going out to Tender on any custom project, it’s not as if you’re buying something off the shelf.
    All of that was studiously ignored by the media campaign to set up the political patsy and invite notions the ferry purchaser had not thought it through.
    This then grew to include the operator and invite criticism of current operations.

    On the latter, you may recall the Herald’s reader poll on breaking up of CalMac – The poll results came in with the exact opposite the propaganda campaign set out to achieve, overwhelming support to let them be, and the results rapidly vanished.

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