SNP accused of running a 'con' on Inverclyde as Ferguson Marine gets tugboat lifeline with no real orders in sight

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Scotland's state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow will construct a small consignment of tugboats for the commercial market after the Scottish Government conceded it has still not awarded the yard any new contracts — six months after pledging four vessels. Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn told Holyrood that once the long-delayed CalMac ferry Glen Rosa is handed over, no contracted shipbuilding work stands on the books for 2027. Up to 70 jobs are at risk through voluntary redundancy, roughly a quarter of the total workforce.

Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr called the situation 'either gross ministerial incompetence or a con by the SNP spin machine.'

The SNP pledged four new vessels — two CalMac ferries and two fisheries ships — just before the election, but no CMA submission has yet been filed.

Flynn said a 'principles assessment' for formal pre-referral is expected 'in the coming weeks', with design work alone requiring more than a year before any steel can be cut.