Scotland's Ships

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BBC Radio 4 - Scotland's Ships

Michael Buchanan looks at the challenges faced by Scottish islanders who rely on ferries.

Michael Buchanan visits the Hebrides to find out what's happened to vital ferry services. Two new ships due in service are years behind schedule and still under construction.

Michael Buchanan returns to the island where he grew up, Barra in the Outer Hebrides, to find out what's happening with the essential ferry service that links the community with the mainland. Here and in other Hebridean islands, he discovers that the ferries run by Caledonian MacBrayne are ageing and breaking down. 

One solution should have been two new ships which were commissioned in 2015 to form part of the Cal Mac fleet. Built on the Clyde, vessels 801 and 802 were originally expected to be delivered in May and July 2018 respectively, yet both remain unfinished. One, now named MV Glen Sannox, was launched on the river in 2019, but still isn't ready for service. 

Michael Buchanan travels around the Hebrides and to Port Glasgow, to find out what's going wrong with vital ferry services and with shipbuilding at the heart of the Clyde.

Producers: Leeanne Coyle and Mark Rickards

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

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