Torsdag d. 12. januar, var der køllægning af den første Islay færge på det tyrkiske værft Cemre Shipyard. Derudover blev den første stålplade til den anden Islay færge også skåret på værftet den dag, hvilket var 3 uger før planlagt.
“This is a very welcome milestone for this vital project, which brings us another step closer to adding new ferries to the fleet serving the Clyde and Hebrides.
The Islay ferry routes are some of the busiest services for freight on the west coast and the new vessels will help to grow the island’s economy, as well as bring added resilience to the wider network.
The Scottish Government is committed to commissioning new ferries to support our island communities, and it’s encouraging to see progress on bringing these vessels into service on time and budget.”
Jenny Gilruth, Minister for Transport .
Den første færge forventes leveret i oktober 2024, mens den anden følger efter i starten af 2025. Prisen for de to færger er 91 millioner pund.
“The Cemre yard is delivering what it said it would, reaching two important milestones within the agreed timeline.
Keel laying is a significant milestone in the ship’s life, marking the start of the construction of the vessel, fitting the first of many units to be fabricated and erected during construction. And the fact that we are getting underway with the second ferry means the shipyard’s pipeline approach is working well, following many hours of intensive design and development.”
Jim Anderson, director of vessels at CMAL.
Kilder: Caledonian Maritime Assets og Cemre Shipyard
