Scottish Government Issues Tender for Seven Electric Ferries

The people of the Clyde and Hebrides regions of Scotland could find themselves using electric ferries in the near future, should a tender issued by the Scottish Government prove successful. 

The tender process is set to begin with an assessment of interested shipyards, establishing whether they meet the financial and technical criteria to take on the project. This will be assessed by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), the government-owned entity that owns the ferries, ports, harbours, and infrastructure for ferry services across the west of Scotland, the Clyde Estuary, and the Northern Isles. 

The tender - which covers the ‘Small Vessels Replacement Programme’ (SVRP) - is expected to have a value of approximately £175 million in the first phase. This phase will cover the seven new electric ferries as well as shore power and port upgrades. 

It is expected that an invitation to tender will be issued at some point in September 2024, with an award issued in March 2025.

Commenting on the issuance of the tender, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, said: 

“The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving our ferry fleet to better meet the needs of island communities, so I’m very pleased to see the procurement process for seven new small vessels get underway today. 

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. These nine routes currently serve around 30% of the car and passenger carryings on the Clyde and Hebrides network”.

Kevin Hobbs, the CEO of CMAL, added: 

“We welcome the Scottish Government’s decision to progress the SVRP. What matters for us is being able to move forward with our plans to improve the fleet with new vessels. This is great news for island communities, and we look forward to delivering the all-electric lifeline vessels over the coming years”.

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