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Anger at bid to scrap Scottish ferry tender
Page 9
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HAULIERS ON TI1E Scottish islands have reacted angrily to the news that plans to put ferry services out to competitive tender have been shelved.
The service is run by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) as a monopoly and the EU wants to open it up to competition, which would inevitably cut the high price of ferry crossings.
But following objections from politicians and unions, Transport Minister Nicol Stephen has agreed to ask Europe if he could scrap the tendering process.
Stephen says: "All our efforts over the next few weeks should be put into avoiding the need to tender these vital lifeline services."
However, operators on some islands feel their ferry costs are disproportionately high,A spokesman for the Islay-based whisky distillery Bruichladdich says: We certainly don't see why CalMac should be so protected — for us it seems strange that the costs of haulage to Islay are so much higher than other islands.
"It's as if they think the whisky producers can afford to pay higher fares so they will charge them accordingly," A return truck fare on the twohour crossing from the mainland to Islay costs £400, compared with the .E500 return fare for a 10-hour trip from Aberdeen to Lerwick which is run by a different operator.
An islander explains: "My main gripe is that I don't have a problem with someone having a cushy number, but I do have a problem with paying for it."
There was no one available at CalMac for comment as CM went to press.