\n<\/p>\n
The contract to run Scotland’s west coast ferry services in future has been directly awarded to the existing publicly-owned operator CalMac Ferries Ltd. <\/p>\n
The Scottish government said the service would now be focused on a “public service model” instead of being run on a commercial basis. <\/p>\n
The contract for the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service (CHFS) had been due to expire last September but was extended by a year.<\/p>\n
Ministers had indicated that a direct award was their preference, but they needed more time to ensure this could be done without a legal challenge. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
CalMac is the UK’s biggest ferry operator and has held the most recent contract to run Scotland’s west coast routes since 2016, serving 50 destinations. <\/p>\n
But the firm has struggled in recent years to maintain services with an ageing and increasingly unreliable fleet. <\/p>\n
Since 2007 the ships and some of the harbours it relies on have been owned by a separate government-owned company, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd or CMAL in a move designed to comply with EU competition rules. <\/p>\n
Delays in replacing the older vessels, in part due to the problems with two new dual-fuel ferries ordered a decade ago, have stretched the service almost to breaking point, with many vessels beyond their expected service life. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n