17/10/2015 – Ferguson’s bosses had heralded a ‘new era’ of shipbuilding on the Clyde after a massive £97 million ferry order was officially placed with the Port Glasgow firm.

It was full steam ahead for the company following an announcement yesterday that a deal has been officially signed for the Newark yard to build two new 100-metre Caledonian MacBrayne vessels.

Port-based Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) — the Scottish Government-owned organisation in charge of port, ferries and harbours in the west of Scotland — had finally given the deal the green light almost seven weeks after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon named Ferguson’s the preferred bidder.

The deal meant the shipyard, rebranded Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL) following Jim McColl’s takeover 12 months prior, could retain its 150-strong workforce.

Managing director Liam Campbell said: “This is a great achievement for the yard and great news for the local community.

“The signing of the shipbuilding contracts today marks the beginning of a new era of commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde and in conjunction with our experience in building battery hybrid vessels, confirms Ferguson Marine Engineering as a lead designer and builder of innovative green vessels internationally.”

The company was set to undertake the detailed design and construction work of the new vessels in Scotland, as well as their testing, equipping, launching and delivery.

The first ferry was expected to enter service in early 2018 with the second following a few months later.

The contract for the 112-year-old yard would provide a boost for commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde and follows the shipyard’s delivery of the first two hybrid ferries for the CMAL fleet, with the third due to launch in December 2015.

Tom Docherty, chief executive of CMAL, said: “We are delighted to sign the shipbuilding contracts, securing FMEL as the contractor to build the two newest additions to our fleet.”