The SNP MSP for Inverclyde has questioned why management at Ferguson Marine failed to secure additional work, describing the announcement of job losses at the Port Glasgow yard as a wake-up call for the company’s leadership.
Stuart McMillan, whose constituency covers the yard, posted his response on Tuesday after Ferguson Marine opened a voluntary redundancy programme expected to see up to 70 employees leave.
He said: “There have been many well documented challenges at Ferguson Marine and the yard needs to become competitive.
“Today’s announcement must be a wake-up call for management. The order book remains empty until the Scottish Government finalise the direct award.
“Why have management taken their eye off the ball and not secured additional work?
“I have concerns about the loss of skills and knowledge as many of the older workforce have been with Fergusons for many years. Their experience is important for training apprentices.”
The framing puts him at odds with others who have commented on the announcement, who have directed their criticism at ministers rather than at the yard.
Paul Sweeney, the Labour MSP for Glasgow and a former shipyard worker, told the UK Defence Journal that the award of phase one of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme to Remontowa in Gdansk rather than to Ferguson Marine had directly caused the job losses.
He said: “They can’t secure additional work because Scotland doesn’t provide shipbuilding project finance through its state investment bank. Every other shipbuilding nation does this. That leaves Ferguson dependent on government contracts, but they have been awarded to foreign shipyards.”
Mr Sweeney said the Scottish Government has placed £550 million of orders with foreign shipyards since 2022 with none going to Scottish or UK yards, and that Caledonian Maritime Assets had recently drawn up tendering requirements for a ferry contract in terms that excluded British yards from bidding.
GMB Scotland, the largest union at the yard, called the losses a betrayal of a blameless workforce and blamed ministers for failing to deliver new contracts while sending work overseas. Louise Gilmour, the union’s Scotland secretary, said: “Shipbuilders needs ships to build so where are those promised to Ferguson Marine? If they ever come, who will build them?”
Ferguson Marine’s own account attributes the reduction to the completion of Glen Rosa rather than to any failure to win work. Graeme Thomson, the chief executive, said the yard faces “an inevitable gap in workload while we work with the Scottish Government to make the relevant preparations to enable us to proceed with contract negotiations.”
Mr McMillan’s point about the order book is not disputed by any of the parties. The Scottish Government announced in March 2026 that it intended to make a strategic direct award covering four vessels, two ferries for Caledonian Maritime Assets under the Small Vessel Replacement Programme along with a marine protection vessel and a marine research vessel, and due diligence on that award remains under way.
Where the accounts diverge is on whether the yard could realistically have won commercial work in the meantime. Ferguson Marine has held subcontract work from BAE Systems on the Type 26 frigate programme, fabricating structural units for assembly at Govan, and Mr Sweeney said that subcontract has now come to a conclusion.
Stephen Flynn, the Economy Secretary, said the redundancies would put the yard on a more competitive footing and were necessary to help secure a viable future, adding that he had been assured they would not affect Glen Rosa.
THE SNP Really do take the Biscuit…!
Their Manipulation of the Furguson Yard for Political gain is Legendary, perhaps they should apologise to thr local area for what they did before having a go at management still trying to fix the SNPs mess…!