Scottish government-owned company Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has awarded a contract to design and engineering firm BMT to provide consultancy services for the concept design of a new passenger ferry for the Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan routes.
As informed, the new ferry will be designed to replace the vessels currently operated on the routes by CalMac.
The £155,000 (about $209,900) contract is part of the Gourock Harbour Infrastructure & Vessels Project, which is a partnership between Transport Scotland, CMAL, CalMac and Argyll and Bute Council.
The project covers the redevelopment of Gourock Ferry Terminal and works to the harbour infrastructures at Dunoon and Kilcreggan, as well as the delivery of new passenger-only vessels. When complete, it will provide a reliable and resilient lifeline passenger ferry service between the terminals at Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan.
With a strong focus on reducing the environmental footprint, BMT and CMAL will investigate and evaluate the application of energy efficiency solutions to make the new vessel design more sustainable while still offering the high level of safety and reliability expected from a lifeline ferry service.
“The contract award is an important milestone in the new vessel project, which will provide much-needed investment in the ferry service for the local community and the overall vessel fleet,” Andy Crossan , senior technical manager and projects director at CMAL, said.