CMAL orders new £42m ferry at German shipyard
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has announced that the contracts have been formally signed to build the new Stornoway-Ullapool ferry, announced earlier this month. The various documents including the shipbuilding contract and lease were signed for the replacement vessel, which is to be built at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft MBH and Co KG - Flensburg, Germany, the Scotland's company press release said.
Financing is being provided by Lloyds Banking Group plc (LBG) and CMAL will enter into an operating lease with LBG and following delivery, CMAL will charter the vessel to the operator of the route.
The new 116m Roll-On-Roll-Off vehicle passenger ferry will be capable of operating 24 hours a day and will have a capacity for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles. The new vessel is scheduled for delivery at the end of June 2014 and will go into service shortly thereafter.
Commenting on the announcement CMAL Chief Executive, Guy Platten, said: “We are delighted that the contracts have been signed for the new vessel and I look forward to seeing the final designs and watching the ferry being built over the next two years. The new ferry, which will be faster, greener, more reliable, will provide a critical lifeline service for communities between the Western Isles and the Scottish mainland”.
