THE Scottish Government could be set to announce the nationalisation of Ferguson shipyard, after bosses at the Port Glasgow site admitted they were ready to call in the administrators.
More than 350 staff are employed at the yard, which is currently at the centre of a dispute over two Calmac ferries.
On Friday, Ferguson Marine Engineering directors served notice of their intent to go into administration by the end of this week.
Finance minister Derek Mackay and government officials held talks with trade unions, Transport Scotland, and publicly owned ferry firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) over the weekend.
READ MORE: MSP hopeful of solution for crisis at Ferguson Marine shipyard
A Scottish Government spokeswoman told The National yesterday that ministers were “actively considering” public ownership and were “keen to reach a conclusion on this matter”.
There has been an increasingly bitter dispute between Ferguson shipyard owner Jim McColl and CMAL in recent months.
The contract to build two 100-metre passenger and vehicle roll-on roll-off ferries, which would run on a low-carbon system of diesel electric and battery power for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service, was awarded back in 2015. Both vessels are now running more than a year and a half behind schedule.
Shipyard bosses have said the delays are down to repeated design changes requested by CMAL which has led to a £90m hike in the cost of making the vessels.
A senior source at Ferguson’s told the Sunday Times a compromise was available which could save the Government having to go through the costly process of transferring the firm into public ownership.
“Despite repeated requests to the Scottish Government to obtain a fair price for the work that has been carried out on these ferries, and offers to bring in independent expertise to assess what that might be, it has proved impossible to get CMAL to the table.
“The company has a fantastic future with the immediate prospect of further orders in the pipeline. Public ownership will jeopardise some of those contracts, with the prospect after the two ferries are finally completed of the yard’s workforce dropping to 150 rather than a projected 700 in the next few years.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We have always been clear that our priority is to ensure the completion of the vessels under construction, secure jobs for the workforce and protect the future of shipbuilding at the site.
“In the absence of any offer of additional funding into the business from CBC, FMEL or any other party, we have been actively considering other options, including public ownership and remain keen to reach a conclusion on this matter.”
“We also remain open to considering viable alternative options, and will continue to work with all partners to reach a constructive solution that can deliver both the vessels and safeguard jobs for those who work in the yard.”
Gary Smith, Scottish secretary of the GMB union, added: “This is a very valuable yard and a national asset. Public ownership is the only way to keep this commercial yard in operation. Although there has been trouble over this one contract, there is a prosperous future and 20 years of work in building ferries.”
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