Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL) has been confirmed by Scottisch government to be the preferred tenderer for the contract to[ds_preview] build two ferries for the Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd’s (CMAL) fleet. Once finalised, the 97mill. £ contract will create new jobs at the shipyard and secure employment for the existing workforce of around 150 people, providing a boost for shipbuilding on the Clyde and the local economy, the government stated.
FMEL will undertake the detailed design and construction work of new vessels, as well as their testing, equipping, launching and delivery. CMAL has worked with the team at Ferguson’s on the build of previous vessels for its fleet and most recently on three smaller hybrid ferries. The new ferries will be dual-fuel vessels so they can operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine diesel. They are designed to carry 127 cars or 16 HGV’s or a combination of and up to 1.000 passengers. From an efficiency and emissions perspective they are designed to operate on either marine diesel or LNG, where benefit will be gained by a marked reduction in CO2 and sulphur and nitreous oxides emissions.
The first ferry is expected to be delivered in early 2018, with the second vessel following a few months later. The ferries are earmarked for the Ardrossan-Brodick and the Uig Triangle routes, although the final decision on vessel deployment rests with the current operator, CalMac Ferries Ltd, and will be informed by further analysis of demand on all major routes.M
