The MV Isle of Islay, a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) vessel and the first of two vessels to serve the islands of Jura and Islay, taking to the water for the first time on Saturday at Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Yalova, Turkey. Picture: CMAL/PA Wire© (Photo: CMAL)
By Professor John Robertson OBA
From the Scotsman today:
A fleet of ferries being built in Turkey have been hit by a further setback, with their completion date pushed back by at least another three months due to labour shortages. The Isle of Islay – the first of four vessels being built at the Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard at Yalova – will now not be completed until at least June.
The delay, which was blamed on the impact of “global geopolitical events”, was confirmed in a letter from Scottish Government ferry-buying firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal), sent to a key Scottish Parliament committee on Friday.
The Isle of Islay, which is to operate on the main Islay route from Kennacraig in Kintyre, was launched in March last year. The vessel was originally due to have been finished in October last year before the completion date was pushed back to March and now “no earlier than the end of Q2 in 2025”.
These delays in contracts vulnerable to global events are only part of the problem in outsourcing work that can and should be done in Scotland.
First, Safety:
18 February 2009: Cemil Akgül (29), working for Elta Shipping, died of electric shock
8 February 2009: Selim Sevgili (30), working for the Dentaş subcontractor, died when a storage lid was dropped on him.
13 December 2008: Erdal İnceyol, working for Anadolu Sea Construction Cradles, died in an explosion
19 December 2008: Hızır Akbulut, injured in the same explosion, died in hospital.
20 December 2008: Aydın Kaplan (31) fell from a great height at a shipyard in Gölcük. He died after twenty days in intensive care.
12 September 2008: Muharrem Ceylan (16) died of electric shock at the Kurban shipyard in the Herkes village in Yalova
28 August 2008: Emrah Varol, Ramazan Aygün and Ramazan Çetinkaya died in an accident with a cutter at the Gisan shipyard.
29 July 2008: İbrahim Çelik, working for the Atlas Ship subcontractor at the GEMSAN shipyard in Tuzla, was carrying out repairs in the pump room when an explosion took place. He was hit in the head and seriously injured. He died on the way to hospital.
3 July 2008: Kemal Turan (47), working at the GİSAŞ shipyard, died when a storage lid fell on him.
8 June2008: İhsan Turan (35) also died when a storage lid was dropped on him.
17 May 2008: Murat Çalışkan (31), fell into a depot on deck of a ship and died.
17 May 2008: Deniz Kaşıkeman (26) died when he was mounting metal sheets. A metal sheet estimated to weigh 2.5 tons dropped on him.
8 May 2008: İzzet Gider died in an explosion after gas was compressed in the machine room.
21 April 2008: Hakan Oğuz (18) died at the Yaşar San shipyard in Yalova after falling onto his yed.
30 March 2008: Ali İhsan Çam (31) was working as a painter at the Sedef shipyard. He fell from a height and died.
27 March 2008: Yüksel Özdemir (45) was working as a scraper at Tuzla shipyards. He fell from a great height.
17 February 2008 Hasan Köse (24) suffered 80 percent burns of his body after an oxygen tube exploded at the Selahattin Arslan shipyard in Tuzla.
16 February 2008: Mikail Kavak (26) died of electrocution when working as a welder for the Gemkur subcontractor.
12 February 2008: Osman Göç (26) was poisoned by smoke while welding. He was able to go to the doctor’s who sent him home. When he got worse at night, he was taken to hospital, where he died.
12 February 2008: Cevat Toy (41) was working at the Dearsan shipyard when he fell of the wharf and died.
5 February 2008: Metin Turan (19) was working as a scraper at the Şahin Çelik shipyard: He fell into the sea and died.
14 January 2008 Onur Bayoğlu (19) was working as an electrician for Sedef shipyard. He fell into a depot and died. (EZÖ/AG)https://bianet.org/haber/yet-another-death-at-a-shipyard-112689
Or this:
In the period, 2000 to 2010, there were 115 fatalities at Turkish shipyards: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257356552_Shipyard_fatalities_in_Turkey’
Or this in 2023:
The Turkish shipbuilding industry has become very successful internationally, but there has been a shocking record of accidents and lives lost.
According to TIB DER, around 100 workers have died on shipyards since 1985, fifty alone since 2001.
The workers demand the following:
- Safety equipment such as hard hats, goggles, gloves, steel-toe shoes and safety belts need to be provided by the shipyard.
- Each shipyard needs an infirmary, an ambulance and an emergency doctor
- The use of grit powder, which is carcinogenic and pollutes the environment, should be banned.
- One of the main reasons for the many deaths is the subcontracting system. Everyone should have the right to permanent employment.
- Those responsible for the deaths need to be prosecuted.
- Workers need to receive regular training in health and safety issues.
- Most accidents happen during overtime; there should be an end to obligatory overtime.
- The workers demand a 35-hour week with seven hours a day.
- Workers should not be assigned to different jobs all the time; they should specialize.
- Some accidents were caused by cranes and forklifts. This kind of machinery needs to undergo regular controls.
- The shipbuilding industry should be categorised as heavy and dangerous work, thus entitling the workers to earlier retirement. (EZÖ/NZ/TK/AG)
- https://m.bianet.org/kurdi/health/104852-how-many-more-shipyard-deaths
Second, build on the experience:
To repeat and summarise the comments from reader Tom Hodgens in June 2022, as the Scottish media feast daily on ferry meat:
The expertise developed in building the delayed gas-powered ferries will pay off handsomely in the years to come as LNG-powered ships will account for 60% of new orders by 2025:
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/asia/lng-powered-ships-account-60-new-orders-2025-korean-study
and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51114275.amp
Scotland is leading the way, and the Scottish Government’s investment in Ferguson Marine, has also given the Port Glasgow based shipyard a head-start in the construction of LNG ships in the UK
Full piece by Tom:
Third, keeping jobs in Scotland:
In the Herald 22 August 2021:
MINISTERS have lost over £60m in public money through trying to salvage the shipyard company at the centre of Scotland’s ferry-building fiasco, the Herald on Sunday can reveal.
New financial papers have revealed that £36.1m of the £50.1m of public funds the Scottish Government has tried to reclaim after Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) fell into administration in August, 2019 will not be recovered.https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19529636.revealed-ministers-lose-60m-public-funds-bailout-ferguson-marine/
Note the amount, note the intention to save jobs and remember the yard is still open.
Two years ago in England, note the same factors:
Labour has claimed transport secretary Chris Grayling‘s political gaffes have cost the economy and taxpayers over £2.7bn during his time in government.
The analysis comes after Downing Street was forced to declare once more that Theresa May has full confidence in Mr Grayling as it emerged the government had settled a £33m fee over the no-deal ferry contract fiasco.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chris-grayling-ferry-contracts-blunders-cost-a8803296.html
The contract is one of three agreements worth a total of £107.7m signed by the government without a tendering process to help ease “severe congestion” at Dover by securing extra lorry capacity.https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/30/no-deal-brexit-ferry-company-owns-no-ships-and-has-never-run-ferry-service
So a vast sum overall, compensation paid to P&O with no return and what about jobs? See this:
P&O SEAFARERS Union RMT today reacted with fury following the release of Government contracts detailing the UK taxpayers’ support for roll-on roll-off ferry operators during the pandemic.
Critical Freight Grant payments have been allocated to operators to keep essential goods, medical and veterinary supplies coming into the country. The recipient of the highest amount is P&O Ferries who are seeking to cut 1,100 jobs on the same routes by the end of this month.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said;
“The Government is supporting ferry companies to the tune of over £33m until mid-July. By that time, P&O Ferries will have put 1,100 workers – mostly seafarers in Dover and Hull – on the dole and working class seafarers will have been failed by this Government.https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-slams-scandal-of-taxpayer-support-for-pando-shareholders/
There you have it. The Scottish Government, with the best will, invests money to try to keep shipbuilding on the Clyde alive and to save jobs.
The Conservative Government wastes money AND the recipients sack workers before, no doubt, tucking the proceeds away in the Cayman Islands.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 