The cost of replacing Orkney’s ailing fleet of internal ferries could be over £800 million, the Orkney council leader has said.
Speaking yesterday, councillor James Stockan said this figure had come from a report by the government-run CMAL.
CMAL owns CalMac’s boats on the Hebrides and Clyde Routes.
According to Mr Stockan, the report put the cost at £700 million plus a 20% uplift for inflation and additional costs.
As such, the council leader gave the figure for a ferry replacement as possibly being £840 million.
It is understood this would replace both the vessels and the infrastructure.
He also said this cost represents more than ten years of the council’s complete budget.
Mr Stockan said the report was discussed with transport minister Fiona Hyslop yesterday during the second meeting of the Orkney Ferries Task Force – a group set up by the government to look at the business case for replacing the ferries.
The task force met in Kirkwall this week.
Transport Scotland has since clarified some of the points raised by the council leader.
Information provided by Transport Scotland states that the figures in the CMAL report covered both the internal ferry fleet and the associated infrastructure needed to support it.
It also indicated that an increase to the figure of £700 million should be considered to account for inflation.
The figures in the report are estimated costs predicted on a like-for-like replacement.
Orkney ferries cost: More detail needed
If the ferry replacement programme was to go forward, the detailed specification would need to be set out and further developed.
As such, any spend profile would be over a number of years depending on the scope of the works – which would be a matter for the council.
Mr Stockan called yesterday’s long-delayed discussions “constructive” and said the plan is still to prepare information to feed into the government’s budget-setting process.
However, this process is due to begin next month.
Mr Stockan said the government and the council have “quite a bit of work to do over the next month.”
He also agreed with transport minister that the UK government has a role to play in Orkney getting new ferries.
When the group had first met, in January, there had been a commitment to meet monthly.
However, yesterday saw only the second meeting in over six months.
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