This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Shipbuilding tenders announcement
04/08/2005
Remontowa of Poland has been selected as the preferred
bidder for the second Jura class Fisheries Protection
Vessel and has also been awarded a contract, subject to
final negotiations, for a second Lower Firth Caledonian
MacBrayne ferry.
The procurement of the third Jura class vessel,
originally intended to follow on from the second, has been
postponed.
Instead, following a review of the Scottish Fisheries
Protection Agency's operational requirements, shipyards are
now being invited to tender for an inshore Minna class
vessel.
CalMac will shortly be inviting tenders for a new
Largs-Cumbrae ferry.
Ross Finnie, Minister for the Environment and Rural
Development, said:
"It is always disappointing when a local company fails
to win a tender but, as we have always done, we entered
into a competitive tendering process in good faith, and
Scottish Ministers had no basis for interfering with that
process.
"We have investigated all of the allegations made in
respect of the current orders and, on the basis of the
information provided to us, we have found no evidence of
illegal state aids having been paid to Remontowa.
"We are acutely aware of the difficulties being
experienced by Ferguson's Shipyard, and it is with that
problem in mind that Scottish Ministers have tried to
ensure the availability of tendering opportunities.
"Today's announcement of an immediate requirement of an
SFPA Minna class vessel and a new CalMac Largs-Cumbrae
ferry follows last month's invitation to tender for a
Fisheries Research Vessel.
"Obviously, I hope that Ferguson's will be able to make
a successful bid for at least one of these orders."
The first of the Jura Class fishery protection vessels
is currently under construction in Ferguson's of Port
Glasgow. Ferguson's also built the first 47 metre MINNA
Class vessel which was delivered in 2003.
The first CalMac Lower Firth Vessel, MV Bute, was built
by Remontowa of Gdansk, Poland and entered service in July
this year.
The new Largs-Cumbrae vessel will enable CalMac to
transfer one of its existing vessels to improve services on
its Oban-Lismore route.