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A cross-party group of politicians has called for investment in the Ferguson Marine shipyard to make it sustainable.
The Scottish Government-owned yard has been at the centre of criticism in recent years over the long-running saga of the delayed ferries Glen Sannox and the newly-named Glen Rosa, which are due to be delivered more than five years late and three times the initial £97m price tag.
The shipyard was rescued from administration in 2019 and taken into public ownership, with ministers saying since they hope to make it sustainable before returning it to the private sector.
On Thursday, a cross-party group of politicians released a letter to Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray, pushing for further investment to secure the workforce at the Port Glasgow yard.
SNP MSP Stuart McMillan and MP Ronnie Cowan – who represent the local area – Scottish Labour MSPs Neil Bibby and Alex Rowley, and Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson have all signed the letter.
Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe also signed on, with the correspondence stemming from a meeting between the elected representatives and Ferguson Marine bosses last month.
The letter suggests funding could be used to secure a new plating line – a rolling production line used to assemble the steel for the construction of ships – but a decision must be made soon due to a backlog with the machine’s manufacturer.
The machine is part of a wider modernisation plan laid out by the yard’s bosses.
The letter signatories wrote: “We understand that the window is closing for an order to be made. The Scottish Government cannot miss this opportunity.
“There can be no future for Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow and its workforce without this investment.
“We therefore write to ask for your urgent approval of the requested funding to upgrade the yard.”
In a statement, McMillan said: “Any capital investment now is an investment for the present and future and it can make the yard competitive and profitable.
“The yard needs to look ahead to less complicated ships and the new equipment required will increase the yard’s productivity.”
Simpson added: “The Scottish Government must say what the future holds for the yard.
“If it is to survive there needs to be a plan to modernise, and that’s going to require further investment.
“The government has to say very quickly how much it is prepared to put into the yard.”
Bibby, who acts as his party’s transport spokesman, added: “Fergusons can and should have a bright future, but securing that pipeline of future work requires the Scottish Government to act now to invest in facilities at the yard, and to improve efficiencies that will help win future work.”
Gary Cook, a senior organiser for trade union GMB Scotland, said: “This yard and its workers should not be criticised because of the ineptitude and incompetence of previous managers and a series of design changes.
“There is a decision to be made about its future and it has to be made now.
“If Fergusons is to be given the future it deserves, as a diamond in Scotland’s industrial crown, then it needs investment now to ensure modernisation goes ahead in time to secure the work it needs.
“There is no reason why these skilled workers cannot secure the yard and build a future for the generations coming behind, but they need more than warm words, they desperately need financial support.”
Cook also said the cross-party support for the letter and attendance at the meeting – which included yard chief executive David Tydeman – is the “first time that political consensus has been forged” in the ongoing saga.
Gray responded: “Ferguson Marine [FMPG] has provided the Scottish Government with a request for capital investment as part of its business plan to make the shipyard more competitive.
“Once due diligence has been concluded, ministers will update Parliament in the usual way should further investment in FMPG be agreed.
“All funding requests undergo an accountable officer assessment covering regularity, propriety and value for money, and this capital investment request is no exception.
“We continue to work closely with FMPG on this matter and will continue to engage with elected members and trade unions towards our shared goal of a successful future for the shipyard.”
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