A £250,000 contract to repair the ferry serving the Small Isles has been awarded to a global firm with a manufacturing base in Dalgety Bay.
Norweigan-headquartered Kongsberg Maritime has secured a tender to upgrade the control system on the MV Lochnevis ferry, which sails to Canna, Eigg, Muck and Rum from Mallaig.
The contract award notice on the Public Contracts Scotland website states Kongsberg Maritime was awarded the contract “without prior publication of a call for competition in the Official Journal of the European Union”.
It says this bypassing is justified because “Kongsberg now own Rolls Royce marine who are the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the existing stabiliser control systems.
“Kongsberg have a direct upgrade solution. Status of existing installation and associated as-built documentation presents a considerable business risk if we do not utilise the OEM.”
‘No disruption to operations’
Fleet operator CalMac Ferries said the work will be carried out when the vessel is pulled in for its routine yearly repair.
A spokesman said: “This work will not impact on ferry operations because it will take place when the vessel are in dry dock for their scheduled annual maintenance.
“The vessels will be in dry dock for an average of two weeks each between September this year and March 2022. The work is required because the current software is obsolete and needs to be updated.”
Calls for a passenger ferry to operate alongside MV Lochnevis by 2022 to match demand were included in a list of short term measures Highland councillors drew up for the Scottish Government.
Desperation is running high to ease capacity issues and improve connectivity for island communities following a series of ferry breakdowns.
‘Islanders need reliable service’
Controversy was more recently courted by CalMac when it awarded a contract worth £200,000 for upgrades to two island ferries which are facing the scrap heap.
The firm advertised for companies who make “emergency generator sets” to come forward to assist as the ones on MV Loch Dunvegan and MV Loch Fyne are obsolete.
The spend, which comes ahead of a replacement plan for the ferries, sparked criticism from Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, who claimed the tender showed the existing fleet “requires attention as well as expansion”.
She said the Scottish Government needs to purchase additional capacity “now” to provide islanders with a reliable service and allow essential maintenance to be undertaken.
The government said it was investing “at least” £580 million over the next five years to improve the ferry network and to bring in new ferries, but routine maintenance is required in the meantime.