Question reference: S6W-11723
- Date lodged: 26 October 2022
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 November 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it had made of (a) crew safety, (b) crew accommodation, (c) crewing levels, (d) catering provision and (e) freight volumes when it reportedly decided against the acquisition of catamaran vessels in the past year for the purposes of public ferry crossings.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not undertaken an assessment of catamaran vessels in the past year. Any such assessments have been undertaken by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) supported by independent naval architectural consultancy.
As was widely reported at the time, CMAL gave detailed consideration to the opportunity to purchase a catamaran already under construction. This was not pursued primarily due to concerns that the vessel would not meet regulatory requirements for service on the Clyde and Hebrides services, a decision endorsed by the Scottish Government.