Caledonian MacBrayne has welcomed confirmation by Minister of Transport, Nicol Stephen MSP, that it is to receive funding from the Scottish Executive for a new ship to service the WemyssBay to Rothesay route.

The new ship, which will cost £8.75million, will carry 62 cars and 450 passengers on CalMac’s busiest route, and will enter service in 2005. Tenders will be placed later in the year for the order to build the ship, which will replace one of the current Streakers servicing the route.

CalMac Managing Director Lawrie Sinclair, said, “The company is always delighted to be building new ships. Having introduced two others already in 2003, this is a welcome addition to the fleet. The Streakers have served us well and are now coming to the end of their working schedules. The new ship will be ideally suited to commuter traffic. The increased capacity will open up the island of Bute to many more people, and make the Central Belt more accessible to island residents.”

The new ship will carry nearly twice as many cars as the Streakers (36) and around 450 passengers.  Mr Sinclair added: “This is the first step towards the development of a 21^st century ferry service for the WemyssBay to Rothesay route. The new ship will effectively bring the island of Bute closer to the mainland, connecting the two communities. With better access to the rail and road network, I hope that the integration of services will lead to even more people using the route. We will obviously be delighted to see the traffic grow.”

As part of the consultation process involved in bringing the new ship design to fruition, CalMac will be conducting local meetings and the company is currently planning a questionnaire which will establish customers’ aspirations for on-board facilities. Mr Sinclair said: “It is important that everyone appreciates at the outset that there is a fixed budget for this project and that we have to achieve best value for money, while producing the most customer-friendly ship possible. I am very much looking forward to getting the project up and running and delighted to be starting the building process up again, so quickly after getting our two new ships into service this summer.”

Ends

For further information on the contents of this News Release, please contact Hugh Dan MacLennan, Public Affairs Manager, Caledonian MacBrayne. Tel: 0776 435 4021; e-mail hugh.maclennan@calmac.co.uk

Issued:  Tuesday, October 14, 2003