Introduction

The Islands Connectivity Plan

The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) replaces the Ferries Plan 2013-2022 but is wider in scope, taking account of ferry services, aviation, and fixed links, as well as onward and connecting travel. The ICP comprises an overarching Strategic Approach paper supported by a number of delivery plans of which this is one.

The ICP Strategic Approach provides guidance and direction to the delivery of island transport connectivity. It sets out how island transport connectivity aligns with the ambitions of the Scottish Government and contributes towards meeting Scottish Government objectives as set out in the National Islands Plan and the National Transport Strategy.

The Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles Ferry Services (CHFS and NIFS) play a key role in supporting the economic, social and cultural development of those peninsula and island communities. This document sets out the Plan for the vessels and ports used by the CHFS and NIFS services and represents a key delivery plan for those services.

Other ferry services in Scotland are the responsibility of local authorities and some others are operated commercially by private operators. Although not covered by this Plan, local authority ferry fleets face similar challenges to those facing the CHFS and NIFS networks. Consultation feedback reported that replacement of ageing ferry infrastructure run or contracted by Argyll and Bute Council, The Highland Council, Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and Shetland Islands Council (SIC) is one of the most pressing transport infrastructure issues for those councils. Those local authorities have undertaken, or are undertaking, similar appraisal and planning work in support of their own vessel and port investment cases. 

The Scottish Ministers are working closely with those councils, in particular with OIC and SIC through Task Forces led by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government. This constructive engagement has led to the commitment to provide £3 million funding to OIC for development of the business case for fleet replacement and infrastructure upgrades, design for a new vessel for the inter-island services to the Orkney north isles and to pilot two electric ferries on other Orcadian inter-island routes. Responsibility for funding replacement infrastructure does remain wholly with the councils, however, we are committed to ongoing discussions and to providing support where we can, in what is a very challenging financial position for all: in the Scottish Government Budget for 2025-26, OIC and SIC will each receive a one-off grant of £10 million funding for inter-island transport connectivity projects.

Transport Scotland developed this Plan in consultation with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and the ferry operators – CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL) and Serco NorthLink Ferries (SNF). Engagement with a range of key stakeholders including local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) and the Ferries Community Board for CHFS also took place. A pre-consultation draft of this Plan was published on 30 December 2022 and shared with key stakeholders. An updated version of this Plan was published on 1 February 2024 having been updated in accordance with comments and views received from a number of these stakeholders.

Public consultation, supported by community engagement, on the draft Strategic Approach paper and this updated Vessels and Ports Plan took place from 1 February to 6 May 2024. An independent consultation and engagement analysis report was published on 3 September 2024 along with our Initial Responses. This final version of the Vessels and Ports Plan takes account of that feedback.

The Vessels and Ports Plan

The Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) (February 2021) stated that:

In addition, a further £115 million has been allocated for the construction of two new vessels to enhance the provision for the ‘Little Minch’ services.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review represents the strategic case for investment by the Scottish Government in vessels and ports, in particular in two specific recommendations:

Recommendation 24 - Ferry vessel renewal and replacement, and progressive decarbonisation

Recommendation 42 - Investment in port infrastructure to support vessel renewal and replacement, and progressive decarbonisation

Stakeholder feedback has indicated the priority of reliability of vessels and resilience of services, a point reinforced in the 2023 report by the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero Energy and Transport (NZET) Committee. This Plan, therefore, focuses on improving reliability by replacing vessels and renewing port assets based on age and condition. In addition, resilience will be improved through fleet modernisation and greater flexibility of the fleets. This Plan sets out the programme and projects needed to maintain and safely operate CHFS and NIFS services. In implementing this Plan, we will aim to deliver vessel replacements and port redevelopments before these reach the age when there is a high risk of reduced reliability due to asset life. In that way, services that are currently reliable and resilient should remain that way through asset management, including timely replacements and rebuilds.

Delivery against the Plan will require investment decisions to be taken as part of annual and longer-term budget reviews going forward. The Plan also proposes an objective and transparent approach to “Investment Prioritisation” to guide those difficult prioritisation decisions within the annual budget setting process.

Context

There are currently 40 vessels deployed on the CHFS and NIFS services. Around half of the 53 ports on the CHFS network are owned by CMAL with the others owned by local authorities, trust ports and private companies. The five ports used by NIFS are owned by either local authorities or trusts. This Plan will support co-ordination with third-party port owners in the forward planning and delivery of investments. Please refer to Annexes A, B, C and D for further details. [To add Annex E with lists of local authority services, vessels and ports – prior to publication.]

Every route is unique and provides an essential link for the community it serves. The shortest crossing on the CHFS network is between Colintraive and Rhubodach, a distance of less than half a kilometre. The longest crossing, from Castlebay to Oban, covers over 140 km and takes around five hours to traverse. Aberdeen-Lerwick on the NIFS network is the longest route overall at 348 km and takes at least 12 hours, which necessitates the provision of overnight accommodation options.

The carryings on individual routes vary markedly, from very busy routes like Ardrossan-Brodick carrying 725,000 passengers in 2023, served by two major vessels in the summer months, to small passenger only or predominantly passenger routes like Gallanach – Kerrera and Gourock – Kilcreggan with 67,000 and 49,000 passengers respectively.

Four of the 30 routes across the CHFS network – Ardrossan-Brodick, Largs-Cumbrae, Wemyss Bay-Rothesay, and Oban-Craignure – together accounted for over half of the total passenger and car carryings in 2023. Three routes combined carried 50% of commercial vehicle lane metres: Kennacraig-Islay (20%), Ullapool-Stornoway (20%) and Ardrossan-Brodick (10%). 

The NIFS network consists of four routes and in 2023, 51% of passenger carryings and 63% of car carryings were on the Stromness-Scrabster route to Orkney.  The Aberdeen-Lerwick route accounted for 35% and 28% of passenger and car carryings respectively, with the remainder accounted for by Aberdeen-Kirkwall and Kirkwall-Lerwick. In terms of freight on NIFS, the Aberdeen-Lerwick route accounted for 57%of commercial vehicle lane metres, followed by Aberdeen-Kirkwall with a 23% share. 

The mix of carrying types also varies markedly between routes with some routes on CHFS carrying very high freight volumes such as Kennacraig-Islay. Other busy routes such as Largs-Cumbrae have much lower freight volumes but similar levels of passenger and car carryings to Ardrossan-Brodick.

The needs of each route will be reviewed through Community Needs Assessments (CNAs), which will identify options to address transport connectivity problems and opportunities for changes to current services by engaging with communities and other stakeholders. Both demand for the service and the role the ferry service plays in the life of the island will be considered, as well as the current services in terms of carryings, capacity utilisation, punctuality and reliability. The CNAs will enable consideration of a range of service and investment options for each community and provide the opportunity for considering options for the number and size of vessels.

The findings of the CNAs will further strengthen the evidence base for investment projects and inform subsequent investment decisions, subject to Value for Money and affordability.

As well as demand, the unique physical characteristics of the seas around Scotland also have implications for vessel design; the seas are relatively rough and, particularly on the west coast, are relatively shallow, which has its own challenges. As part of project design development, all issues are considered, such as wind and wave modelling data, potential vessel type, size and approachway. Swell and berthing forces are also considered, to ensure that both vessel and infrastructure interfaces at ports and harbours provide an optimum solution for ferry services to island communities. We will continue to work closely with all port owners to ensure that climate change adaption is an integral part of the design and delivery of all infrastructure projects.

Objectives

This Plan reflects our ambition to replace the fleet and enhance reliability and resilience as quickly as possible, but this will only be possible as the necessary funding becomes available. Individual investments will still be subject to Value for Money tests, with each project developed and assessed through detailed business cases.

The ICP Strategic Approach has identified 12 key themes needing to be addressed. The following themes were the most pertinent of those to help develop an understanding of the key challenges in relation to vessel and port investment:

• Resilience and reliability
• Vessels and Ports
• Capacity and demand
• Accessibility
• Environmental impact and low carbon
• Freight services

Based on the Vision and Priorities set out in the ICP Strategic Approach paper, and the challenges discussed, the Vessel and Ports Plan will work to achieve the following objectives:

• to maintain and safely operate ferry connections for CHFS and NIFS communities, continuing to take opportunities through vessel and port investment to enhance services in support of the sustainability and growth of island populations and economies whilst protecting local environments and heritage;
• to improve reliability associated with both weather and technical issues;
• to reduce the average age of the total fleet (across both CHFS and NIFS networks) to around 15 years by the end of this decade;
• to improve resilience through an expansion in the CHFS major vessel fleet by the end of 2026 and through increased interoperability and standardisation of vessels and ports within the major and small vessel fleets;
• as part of that fleet expansion, to retain a major vessel in the fleet for resilience purposes until at least 2030;
• to improve accessibility for transport users through vessel and port design, informed by the proposed Accessibility Standard, once available;
• to provide additional vehicle-deck capacity to address identified “pinch points”, where this is practical, beneficial and affordable, and alongside other measures consistent with the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy;
• to progressively decarbonise both vessel fleet and port operations by 2045, taking the opportunities of a modernised fleet and port infrastructure to reduce air and noise pollution, and take measures to safeguard biodiversity, water quality and natural and historic heritage during construction.

How we will deliver our Objectives

Vessel Replacement and Port Renewal

The Investment Plans section below propose investment across four phases up to 2045 in vessels and ports in order to deliver these objectives. Phase 1 consists of a series of vessel and port projects outlined in the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP), published in February 2021. These projects are being taken forward between April 2021 and March 2026, and will also include the completion of vessels 801 (MV Glen Sannox) and 802 (MV Glen Rosa).

Since the publication of the IIP in 2021, decisions have also been taken:

• to purchase the second-hand vessel, MV Loch Frisa;
• to procure two new vessels rather than one new vessel for Islay;
• to procure two more “Islay class” vessels to enable a 2 vessel service on the Little Minch routes, between Uig-Tarbert/Lochmaddy, in the summer;
• to deploy both MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa to the Arran routes;
• to initiate a Port Ellen (Islay) redevelopment project;
• to retain an additional Major Vessel in the CHFS fleet to provide additional resilience and support overhaul until at least 2030;
• to charter the MV Alfred to add resilience to the CHFS major vessel fleet;
• to procure seven small CHFS vessels as phase 1 of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme (SVRP).

The information below outlines the expected dates of new vessels which are being delivered or require investment decisions over the short to medium term. These are subject to funding approval and procurement. In addition, given the long time period of the Plan, some reprioritisation and flexibility may be required, particularly for the later phases, as the availability of funding will ultimately determine the programme of delivery.

Vessels under contract (dates shown indicate delivery of vessels, not actual deployment):

• MV Isle of Islay – anticipated Q3 2025

• MV Glen Rosa – anticipated Q3 (September) 2025 (subject to update from FMPG)

• MV Loch Indaal – anticipated Q1 2026

• MV Lochmor – anticipated Q3 2026

• MV Claymore – anticipated Q4 2026

• SVRP Phase 1 (seven vessels) – from Q3 2027

Note: All vessel delivery dates are subject to ongoing monitoring and review with updates provided to NZET Committee at quarterly intervals.

Proposed vessel replacements where the outline business case is nearing completion:

• MV Lord of the Isles – earliest estimate for delivery end 2028

• Northern Isles freighter replacement vessels – earliest estimate for delivery 2029

Proposed vessel replacements where the outline business case is currently being drafted:

• Gourock-Dunoon/Kilcreggan vessels

Proposed Vessel replacements where the outline business cases are in early development:

• MV Isle of Mull

• Small Vessel Replacement Programme (Phase 2)

Standardisation

Given the wide variety of communities and routes served by these fleets, increased standardisation does not need to mean identical vessels but should allow for increased interoperability of vessels and ports.

CMAL is striving to standardise its ports across the network, where possible, with a view to reducing the constraints on the vessels that can operate from each, hence increasing flexibility and ultimately resilience. This will include items such as dredging for vessels with a deeper draught, ensuring piers and fendering can accommodate heavier vessels, and providing linkspans that are wider to accommodate vessels with a larger beam, for example. Development at ports will also take into account the need to make them more resilient as a result of climate change and will also consider opportunities for improved integration with public transport and active travel as part of onward connection in overall journeys. In some cases, progressive expansions of ports may have already reached a natural limit. Individual project business cases will need to weigh resilience and other benefits against the financial and environmental costs and impacts.

For CHFS and NIFS, we aim to work with CMAL and the operators towards a “menu” of vessel options:

• The “Islay vessel” design or a variant will become the standard for major vessels where possible on CHFS, with the exception of Ardrossan-Brodick and Stornoway-Ullapool routes (given existing vessels being constructed or deployed on these services) and Mallaig-Lochboisdale. This will require upgrading of some ports on routes identified for these vessels. Where this would represent a disproportionate cost or poor Value for Money, or the costs are currently unaffordable, an adapted vessel design can be deployed. The Islay vessel was designed to respond to a high freight usage and a relatively low passenger demand – other routes may require a higher passenger capacity but lower freight (and therefore lower deadweight) but the objective will be to manage these modifications within the current design to promote inter-operability and retain a high level of standardisation.
• The first phase of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme has been designed to bring consistency in vessel certification, hull form and on-board engineering, bridge and safety equipment. This will allow inter-operability of vessels and crew where required and also help with maintenance and retaining spare parts. We will seek to replicate as much of this as possible in the second phase of the SVRP, noting that these vessels are likely to require consideration of some more bespoke elements given the characteristics of the routes being served.
• Between these two standardised designs there is the potential requirement for a medium sized vessel. This will be considered as we take forward proposals for replacements for Mull – see “Replacement of ‘Medium’ sized vessels”, below.
• Also, additional designs solutions are needed including for the Small Isles and the passenger vessels operating on Gourock/Dunoon/Kilcreggan.
• For the Northern Isles Vessels, the current work being undertaken by CMAL, Northlink and Transport Scotland is focused on replacement of the two freight vessels including a “Freight Flex” option that would allow greater resilience in poor weather as well as improved timetables with higher operating speeds. This design will also provide the option of operating in passenger mode with the provision of cabins, lounges and other facilities to help meet demand in peak season and improve resilience across the NIFS fleet. The current intention is that the hull form being considered will also be standardised and could be used as the basis for the replacement of the three RoPax (Roll-on Roll-off and Passenger) vessels. Again, on-board systems and equipment would also be intended to be standardised as much as possible.

Second hand vessels

Second hand tonnage will continue to be explored and may present opportunities to accelerate benefits to communities by meeting an interim need when longer-term tonnage is being developed or may represent a more appropriate provision for the fleet/route. It may also contribute to improved reliability, accessibility and other key objectives. Each case will be considered on its own merits and the Plan adjusted accordingly if appropriate. The need for, and benefits of, second hand vessels, should reduce as more new replacements enter the fleet. Affordability and Value for Money would be key considerations.

Environmental Impact and Low Carbon

The substantial investment required in vessels and ports set out in this Plan has environmental as well as financial costs. Recognising this means that environmental protection can be considered from the outset and opportunities for mitigation and enhancement measures can be considered through the business case process. This applies to both short-term construction impacts and potential longer-term impacts from ongoing vessel and port operation.

Scottish Ministers intend to explore all options and take action to decarbonise the ferry fleets going forward. The process of decarbonisation is already underway and will be built upon in the coming years; this will be reflected in future versions of this Plan, as the commercialisation of alternative technologies allow further milestones and targets to be set. This includes the SVRP where these vessels will operate on a fully electric basis.

The Scottish Government is, and remains, committed to Net Zero Targets. Our long-term goal is to reduce ferry carbon emissions very substantially by 2045 and, ideally, to eliminate them, as a contribution towards reaching net zero. Achieving this is highly dependent on low carbon fuels and suitable distribution infrastructure becoming commercially available. Investment planning will also need to take account of frequency and the cost of replacement batteries, and the recycling of these.

Challenges remain across the wider shipping industry around the ability to decarbonise the major vessel fleets given the current technology available. We will continue to explore opportunities to do so as technology develops, including potential options that may allow vessels to be retrofitted as solutions emerge. CMAL has already incorporated measures around more efficient hull forms and more efficient propulsion systems in the development of the most recent Islay Class vessels currently under construction and this will form a key consideration around the development of new vessel proposals.

As set out in the Strategic Approach, we are adopting the principle that all new ferries for CHFS and NIFS should be designed with potential for upgrade to utilise future zero emission propulsion where possible. Local authorities are encouraged to consider this principle for their own ferry fleets.

To support decarbonisation of the ferry fleets work to provide shore power connections at ports has already commenced, this will allow vessels to connect to the electricity network while at berth to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ports.

Other initiatives at ports are site specific adoption of appropriate low and zero carbon technologies and materials responding to the local environment and it’s demands. Such location-specific projects delivered include air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels on a number of terminal buildings, smart building management systems, low-maintenance, low-carbon composite cladding, EV charging points, low energy lighting and use of recycled materials. Future options will include nature based infrastructure solutions such as rain gardens, sustainable drainage systems and swales and reed bed filtration.

As recognised in the National Transport Strategy, in addition to minimising the future impacts of transport on our climate, our transport system, including our ferry system, needs to adapt to climate change impacts. Climate change directly affects the transport sector through the increasing number of more severe and frequent extreme weather events and the disruption they cause, such as erosion of our coastal areas, landslides and rising water levels.

We are taking action, such as through CMAL, where we have been actively monitoring the effects of climate change on rising sea levels to inform the design or improvements to port infrastructure.

These impacts may alter our investment prioritisation in later versions of this Plan.

Outputs

Based on the Objectives and Inputs set out within this Plan it is envisaged that the following Outputs will be realised. In turn these Outputs will lead to meeting the outcomes defined within the ICP Strategic Approach:

• sustainable transport connectivity for island and peninsula communities on the CHFS and NIFS networks;
• increased reliability of the fleet due to ongoing vessel renewal and upgrading ports in response to asset age and condition;
• increased resilience of the network as a whole due to upgrading of ports, vessel renewal and fleet expansion, with increased standardisation leading to greater flexibility across the fleets for the operators;
• reduction in average age of the combined fleets due to ongoing vessel renewal;
• improved accessibility for passengers across the network due to fleet and port modernisation and increased standardisation;
• reduction in emissions across the vessel fleets due to vessel modernisation, optimal vessel and hull design, adoption of alternative fuels, and an increase in provision of shore power.

Engagement and Consultation

The lead for each investment project – normally CMAL or a third party port owner – is responsible for consulting, engaging and communicating throughout the life of projects to ensure that vessel and port designs respond to operator, user and community needs. This should include consideration of how to target identified “hard to reach” groups. This engagement will be supported by Transport Scotland and the relevant operator as part of the wider governance around the development of these projects.

For projects led by CMAL, the CMAL Project Manager will agree with Transport Scotland and the relevant operator, and publish, a Communications and Engagement Plan which will follow a consistent pattern, typically:

• a series of public events (in-person and/or online) at key stages of the project or programme to inform and seek views with careful consideration of the timing, location and publicising of these opportunities;
• a “reference group” of key stakeholders for more detailed consultation and engagement on the development of the project or programme;
• a dedicated project page on the CMAL website to host updates and information;
• a log of all stakeholder comments and how these have been responded to;
• direct engagement with trade unions representatives of crew and staff;
• a report detailing all communications and engagement undertaken during the project, including “lessons learned” for other and future projects.

An Islands Communities Impact Assessment is also being carried out to inform the development of the overall Islands Connectivity Plan including this Vessels and Ports Plan. This process aims to ensure that the impacts on island communities are captured and considered in the development these proposals.

Funding and Affordability

It is important that Scotland’s ferry services are based on a sustainable long-term financial foundation and remain affordable. This Plan requires significant and sustained investment for its successful delivery. This Plan reflects and reports on the priorities of the current Infrastructure Investment Plan (2021-2026) and builds on that progress by recommending an investment programme from 2025 and over the longer term. In the context of constrained public finances now and in the years ahead, we must ensure that investments achieve Value for Money and are affordable.

Individual investment proposals are developed in line with Transport Scotland guidance and based on robust business cases which make the case for multi-annual budget commitments. Investment proposals need to cover not just one-off capital costs but also ongoing operating costs of the crew, fuel, harbour dues and other costs of operating a vessel and the staffing, maintenance and other costs of operating a port. In addition, the current and prospective revenues from customers, and other revenue generation opportunities, will inform each business case, particularly where proposed investments will lead to increased patronage.

The Scottish Public Finance Manual and HM Treasury Green Book both suggest that Value for Money can be assessed either by looking at the costs and benefits of an option (generally when it is a new intervention) or by looking at the cost-effectiveness of options in achieving or maintaining existing outcomes. In both cases, this is informed by the Scottish Government’s aims as set out in the National Islands Plan and the National Transport Strategy.

We will capture Value for Money by taking a holistic view of the benefits and costs of the investment where appropriate. There are a number of costs and benefits associated with ferry services that cannot be easily quantified or monetised such as integration, accessibility and social inclusion and looking at the cost-effectiveness of options where appropriate. We will work with operators and stakeholders to improve our identification of the wider societal value of ferries as essential public services, in order to provide decision makers with robust justifications for public investment.

In both cases, assessing Value for Money ensures that recommended proposals meet objectives and strategic goals, where value includes the social, economic and environmental benefits of public investment, including where there is an opportunity through a vessel replacement or port renewal to make service enhancements which address identified transport connectivity needs.

The cost of investment in vessels, ports and ferry services is partly funded by fares revenue. This Vessels and Ports Plan, therefore, cannot be delivered in isolation from the other elements of the ICP, including renewed CNAs of services and a holistic review of future ferry fares options as part of progress towards the financial sustainability of ferry services.

Affordability is confirmation, at the time of the investment decision, that the necessary funding is, and will be available, in the financial years covered by the construction project.

The investment programme set out in this draft Plan, informed by initial stakeholder engagement, represents the recommended programme needed to maintain and safely operate the current network of ferry services. It is important to highlight that although funding has been made available, subject to individual project decisions, for the initial years of the Plan (2021-2026), the full programme of investment identified for future years falls into the decision-making responsibility of future Parliaments and Governments and, therefore, does not currently have allocated funding. Given the long time period of the Plan, reprioritisation and flexibility is required, particularly in later phases of the Plan, as the availability of funding will ultimately determine the pace of delivery.

Individual investment decisions will be taken in the context of budget allocations and market conditions prevailing over time. When difficult decisions within the overall programme need to be taken due to affordability challenges, these will be guided by the approach to “Investment Prioritisation” described below.

Transport Scotland normally uses capital (CDEL) loans and grants for vessels and ports projects. Grants to the operators to support ongoing ferry services provided through the CHFS and NIFS contracts use resource funding (RDEL). Given the challenging financial context, the programme proposed in this Plan, and the approval of investment projects for the replacement or renewal of current vessel and port assets, will consider the impact on operating cost on a whole-life cost basis. This will start from the presumption that, unless there is an exceptional case with a strong Value for Money justification, capital investment will not lead to an increase in the costs of operating those assets. Furthermore, projects should seek to reduce the operating costs where possible and reasonable. This will enable savings to be reinvested in services and help towards the long-term financial sustainability of our ferry networks.

Investment Prioritisation

In line with the National Transport Strategy’s Sustainable Investment Hierarchy, this Plan is focused on vessel and port assets to allow the existing network of routes and services to be maintained and operated safely. Accordingly, it recommends investments to achieve reliability and resilience improvements within the fleet and achieve a target average vessel age of around 15 years by the end of this decade. However, when individual projects reach key decision points, the necessary funding may not be available. An objective and transparent approach to prioritisation is needed.

Available funding and investment should be prioritised to ensure that communities dependent on ferries retain these essential services. We, therefore, propose that, in such circumstances, the approach to investment prioritisation would be to firstly ensure that the fundamentals for sustainable services and the socio-economic sustainability of communities, particularly in terms of reliability and resilience, are in place. In cases where affordability requires difficult decisions to be taken, the following three elements would be prioritised (these are not in order and would all be considered together):

• the sustainability of ferry services by maintaining and increasing reliability and resilience, including consideration of whether there are alternative means for maintaining essential transport connectivity for communities by ferry, air or road during times of disruption to the infrastructure associated with a primary ferry route;
• those ferry routes and services that provide the primary transport connection for people, goods and services required for the sustainability of each community;
• those communities recognised as at greater risk of depopulation and economic decline and where assessment has identified investment in ferry assets as a preferred option in addressing that risk. This Plan does not identify those communities – this will be based on analysis and advice from the Scottish Government and local authorities in each case.

A large majority of consultation respondents agreed with the proposed approach and this will therefore be integrated into forward planning and investment decision-making. The factor of “communities identified as at greater risk of depopulation and economic decline” is retained and we recognise the concern expressed by some consultation respondents at what this could mean for vessel and port projects serving growing islands and where there has been an identified requirement for additional capacity. These projects will continue to be developed and reported on. This Plan also emphasises planning ahead to replace vessel and port assets as they approach asset life expiry, supporting the aim of achieving a fleet average age of 15 by the end of this decade and reducing the risk of reactive remedial works being required at ports.

Monitoring and Review

Although this is the “final” version of the Plan, the intention is that it is reviewed and fully updated every five years so that there is always a 20-25 year forward look. However, it also intended that the Plan is refreshed every two to three years to reflect changes – recognising that the investment programme is dynamic, not static. The first refresh will therefore take place during 2027 and a fully updated Vessels and Ports Plan published by the end of 2029.

The overall programme set out in the Plan will be kept under regular review, and the proposals within it prioritised, in the light of the financial environment and progress towards the financial sustainability of our ferry networks. This would reflect:

• progress with project implementation;
• changes arising from decisions made during project / programme implementation;
• outputs of mid-life reviews and refreshed needs assessments;
• results of regular vessel and port condition assessments.

Monitoring of the implementation of this Plan will also be ongoing through regular reporting from individual projects and programmes, primarily through the project pages on the CMAL website.