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The entirely ‘unworthy’ Herald has another of it’s ‘hatchet jobs’ on CalMac today, above, about its 40 year-old , MV Isle of Loch Linnhe, built with its 4 sister ships in 1986, at Richard Dunston’s Hessle yard on the Humber.

European Commission rules apprently meant they had to go out to open tender and the contract was won by the English yard in the constituency of right-wing Tory MP, Sir Patrick Wall. Wall had supported white minority rile in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.

No doubt the European Commission rules bit is true but who thinks an English yard would be cheaper?

There is no evidence that the right-wing Tory government of the time, enabled the winning of the contract.

The 4 vessels, though only 40 years-old have experienced a litany of mechanical problems with the Loch Linnhe now only a ‘relief vessel. In the the comparable Washington State and British Columbia Ferries and across Ireland, much older boats, up to 60 years-of-age are still in service.

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In sharp contrast, the ‘design parent’ of the 4 Dunstan boats, the MV Isle of Cumbrae, now 50 (1976), built in the Ailsa yard of Troon, Ayrshire, is still in service. She has avoided any near-write-off repair and her service cannot be matched by the Dunston boats. This, with the recent news from Turkey, is another example of how Scotland should be building its ferries here. Here’s one we covered before:

The National’s piece, above, on the latest problems for the MV Caledonian Isles has no historical perspective on this long-troubled vessel, leaving some to think it’s another ‘SNP ferry fiasco‘.

Here it is:

Readers will already know that the MV Caledonian Isles had been in dock for repairs following botched work by Cammell Laird in Liverpool.

Readers will also be aware of the regular and longstanding Scottish media reports describing the vessel as ‘troubled’ and ‘fault prone.’

While such accounts have been often exaggerated and ill-informed, it may be that the vessel has been, since its launch, marked by the consequences of political errors and shoddy work by its builders.

Launched on 25 May 1993 at Richards Shipbuilders of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, shut down only months later in 1994, the yard had no experience of building ferries for the stormy seas of Western Scotland and, notably, the Herald in December 1993, was already reporting problems with winter crossings to Ardrossan, often diverted to Gourock and local businesses complaining about that. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12703255.new-11m-arran-ferry-sails-into-fresh-row-over-reliability/

When the contract was given to the Suffolk shipbuilder, the Conservative Party Secretary of State for Scotland was Malcom Rifkind and the Minister for Industry was Ian Lang. You have to wonder why, given the yard’s lack of previous experience and imminent demise, if the Scottish Conservatives were doing a wee favour to the local MP or UK Government?

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