THE Scottish Government-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard has advanced to the second stage of the process to replace small ferries, increasing hopes for its future.

The Port Glasgow-based yard has been selected to advance to the invite to tender stage of the small vessel replacement programme along with Cammell Laird in Liverpool, Chilean firm Asenav SA, Turkish yard Cemre Marin Edustri AS, the Polish Remontowa Shipbuilding SA, and the multinational Damen Offshore and Specialised Vessels.

The £175 million programme will build seven smaller electric vessels to the country’s less-populated islands.

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Tenders are expected by January, with the contract award due in March.

Connectivity minister Jim Fairlie (below) said the Government was “absolutely committed” to improving the country’s ageing ferry fleet, adding he is “very pleased” the procurement process has moved to the second stage.

“Our intention is that these ferries would be deployed on seven existing routes, but would also bring benefits to two other routes from the redeployment of existing vessels,” he added.

“The new vessels will also be electric, helping us to deliver a significant improvement in emissions and local air quality and taking us towards a lower carbon ferry network.

“This procurement is a vital step forward in our plans to improve our ferry services and I look forward to following its progress closely over the coming months.”

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Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of ferry procurement body Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), said: “We received interest from many shipyards across the world and carried out a robust assessment against set criteria, including their suitability to take on this project.

“Six shipyards scored the highest across the criteria, and have now been issued an invitation to tender for the contract.

“We look forward to reviewing the tender documents in the new year, and delivering the electric vessels which will continue our rejuvenation of the fleet and shore infrastructure for island communities.”

Ferguson Marine has been at the centre of an ongoing political storm since its nationalisation in 2019, with the troubled delivery of two ferries for the west coast network being years late and millions over budget.

After the ferries are delivered, with one expected imminently and another due in September of next year, ministers have repeatedly suggested they will seek to put the yard on a stable footing with orders coming in before returning it to the private sector.

A Ferguson Marine spokesperson said: “This is excellent news and a testament to our team who prepared a robust submission for the first stage.

“We will focus on developing and submitting a strong bid to build the small vessels for CMAL, something the Ferguson Marine shipyard is well-placed to deliver. We have the people, skills, experience and detailed knowledge required.”