Council leader Stephen McCabe has urged the Scottish Government to step in and secure valuable local jobs at Ferguson Marine.

Councillor McCabe has written to Cabinet Secretary Mairi McAllan following on from the successful launch of the MV Glen Rosa at the Port Glasgow shipyard last week.

He welcomed her attendance at the launch event and urged her to promote Ferguson as a partner with CMAL to develop and build the new fleet of small ferries.

He recognised the challenges faced by the Scottish Government and agencies around the history of the current contract but said it’s “time to move beyond that to secure the future of the yard”.

In his letter, McMcCabe says: “The council considers Ferguson Marine to be a major employer in Inverclyde and an integral component of our area’s marine sector – a sector identified as one with strong potential for growth and development that could be one of the keys to the economic recovery of Inverclyde.

“We urge you to intervene and promote a process for procurement that identifies Ferguson Marine as a partner with CMAL in the development and build of the new fleet of small ferries.

“In addition to capitalising on local expertise, Ferguson Marin have experience of delivering on time and on budget, similar classes of vessels.

“The community benefits of this partnership approach, which cannot be calculated through a bidding procurement process, would be the retention of existing skills and jobs; the development of new skills, jobs and apprenticeships; and longer-term security for the local workforce and the wider supply chain.”

Mr McCabe also highlighted the number of jobs which have left Inverclyde in recent months, and urged Ms McAllan to step in to stop another major employer from leaving.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Mairi,

I welcome your attendance at the launch of MV Glen Rosa on Tuesday and your recognition that Ferguson Marine is a vital part of the economy in Inverclyde. As you are acutely aware, Ferguson Marine faces significant challenges and the commitment of Scottish Government support which you gave is crucially important at this time.

Looking forward, clearly having work in the pipeline is essential for the survival of the yard. While I recognise the challenge faced by the Scottish Government and your agencies around the history of the current contract, it is time to move beyond that to secure the future of the yard.

The Council considers Ferguson Marine to be a major employer in Inverclyde and an integral component of our area’s Marine sector – a sector identified as one with strong potential fore growth and development that could be one of the keys to the economic recovery of Inverclyde.

We urge you to intervene and promote a process for procurement that identified Ferguson Marine as a partner with CMAL in the development and build of the new fleet of small ferries. In addition to capitalising on local expertise, Ferguson Marine have experience of delivering on time and on budget similar classes of vessels.

The community benefits of this partnership approach, which cannot be calculated through a bidding procurement process, would be the retention of existing skills and jobs; the development of new skills, jobs, and apprenticeships; and longer-term security for the local workforce and the wider supply chain.

A single source partnership arrangement, carried out diligently to ensure its integrity is beyond question, would give the company and workforce certainty and provide a foundation on which to grow the businesses to profitability. It would also help to put the yard into a competitive position to bid for future contracts out with the Scottish Government to secure that long term stability we all want to see at Ferguson Marine.

As you are aware, Inverclyde has been haemorrhaging over the last 18 months, with the latest blow being the proposed relocation of 450 jobs at EE in Greenock to Glasgow. We simply cannot afford to lose another major employer.