The rising bill for unplanned ferry maintenance in the CalMac fleet is a “colossal scandal”, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
A freedom of information request from the party found the ferry operator spent £3.85 million on unscheduled work between April and November 2023.
This compares with £3.05 million which was spent on unplanned maintenance in the 2022/23 financial year.
Between April and November 2023, an additional £17.68 million was spent on planned maintenance.
Repair and upkeep costs for CalMac’s fleet have risen due to the age of some of its vessels.
Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson MSP said: “This huge increase in unplanned maintenance costs is the inevitable consequence of the SNP government’s rampant neglect of islanders, and the lifeline ferries on which they rely.
“Much of CalMac’s fleet is at or beyond the end of its natural life, and is therefore prone to break down.
“This unplanned maintenance is not only taking money away from CalMac’s other priorities and imposing costs on the Scottish taxpayer – it means that islanders have to suffer unreliable and frequently disrupted services.
“The SNP-Green government’s mismanagement of ferries – in procurement, replacement, funding and maintenance – is a colossal scandal.
“It has cost hundreds of millions of pounds, inflicted huge damage on island economies, crippled tourism, and caused needless misery for some of our most vulnerable and neglected communities.”
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: “With one-third of our 35 vessels operating beyond their life expectancy, we are investing heavily in both planned and unplanned maintenance as we work hard to provide the best possible service we can to the communities and customers we serve.
“This investment in maintenance grew to well over £43m in 2023, compared with just £20m in 2017.
“We are looking forward to welcoming a total of six major and 10 small vessels into the fleet over the next five years. However, we face a difficult period as we wait in anticipation for them to be fully operational on the network.
“In the meantime, we will continue to work in partnership with local stakeholders and communities to ensure the best possible outcomes for all who rely on our services.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Maintenance spend is a requirement of all ferry fleets spend and CalMac are investing additional sums to improve fleet sustainability and to provide a more resilient service for customers and communities, ensuring all planned and unplanned maintenance can be met.
“Our Islands Connectivity Plan has been published for consultation, looking at a wide range of issues, from improving fleet reliability and monitoring performance, to reducing carbon emissions and making future contracts more flexible to respond to community needs.
“We recognise the impact that delays and disruption have regrettably had on our island communities and are committed to investing in our ferry services.
“Delivering six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network by 2026 is a priority for this government.”