FERGUSON Marine has confirmed it is bidding for a contract to build seven electric CalMac ferries, with the shipyard thought to be going up against 12 other companies in the tender process.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) says it has received 13 responses in its competitive procurement process for the £175 million phase one Small Vessels Replacement Programme.
Invitations to tender are expected to take place in September, with the contract being awarded in March next year.
A spokeswoman for the Port Glasgow yard confirmed that the company's bid has been submitted, but said no further details would be provided due to the competitive nature of the process.
Calls had been made for the Scottish Government to directly award the contract to the publicly-owned shipyard.
In July, the Scottish Government announced it would invest £14.2 million to upgrade Ferguson Marine but it would not deliver a direct award of the small ferries contract.
The competitive tender process was launched last month.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said a direct award would "introduce substantial risks and uncertainties for the shipyard and the communities which rely on the lifeline vessels".
Ferguson Marine interim chief executive John Petticrew said the shipyard would bid "aggressively" for the work, though he warned there could be "unfair competition" from foreign shipyards which receive state aid.
In July, Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey described the decision not to directly award the contract as "very disappointing".
He added: “People will be left wondering why Scottish Government ministers aren’t willing to award the contract to a Scottish Government owned yard in order to protect jobs.
“While the investment in the yard is welcome, what is needed is a sustainable order book that can secure shipbuilding on the lower Clyde, and the jobs and skills that come with it.
“It is important that the yard tenders for this work and the Cabinet Secretary gives any submission from Ferguson Marine the consideration it deserves.”
The first stage of the procurement process is a pre-qualification exercise which will assess which shipyards meet the financial and technical criteria for the project, with the highest-ranked yards will then progress to the next stage.
The new electric fleet will be deployed across CalMac’s Clyde and Hebrides network, replacing older vessels which are nearing the end of their lifespan, in several cases almost 40 years old.
Constructing them would be considerably less complex than the larger vessels currently being built at the Port Glasgow shipyard, which will carry up to 852 passengers.
MVs Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, which will also serve in CalMac’s fleet on the main route to Arran, remain under construction after experiencing a number of delays.
The first of those two ships, the Glen Sannox, currently has an estimated delivery date to its operators, CalMac Ferries Ltd, of September 30 - nearly seven years after it was launched.
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