Transport Scotland - Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services 3 (CHFS3) contract and vessel maintenance: FOI release

Information requested

Copies of all information held by Transport Scotland relating to vessel maintenance scheduling obligations and timetable planning under the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services 3 (CHFS3) Grant Agreement with CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL).

Response

1. All correspondence (emails, letters, meeting notes, and minutes) between Transport Scotland and CalMac Ferries Ltd (including internal Transport Scotland communications) from 1 January 2024 to present which discuss, reference, or justify the requirement for scheduled maintenance or dry-docking under the CHFS3 Grant Agreement.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600 for example narrowing your search. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

2. Copies of any interpretive guidance, internal memos, or briefing papers prepared by Transport Scotland staff or consultants that explain or interpret the following CHFS3 clauses and their practical application:

Clause 6.1.1 and 6.1.2 (Maintenance and Operation – pages 118–120)

Excerpt from CHFS3 Task Paper 15: Vessel Maintenance and Inspection

6.2.1. Maintenance & Operations
CHFS2 stated that it was the Operators sole cost and expense to maintain the Vessel and every part of the Vessel (which includes any Transferring Assets on or fixed to the Vessel) and keep it in a good and efficient state of repair and safe operating condition, seaworthy in all respects and in accordance with good maintenance practice (fair wear and tear excepted and having regard to the age and type of the Vessel) on a non-discriminatory basis with other vessels owned and/or operated by the Operator and in accordance with good industry practice for United Kingdom ferry Operators and procure that all repairs to, or replacement of, any damaged, worn or lost parts or equipment are effected in such a manner (both as regards workmanship and quality of materials) as not to diminish the value of the Vessel and (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) the Operator must ensure that at all times:
The Vessel maintains the classification of the Vessel with the relevant Classification Society and to the extent any additional class notations are registered or proposed for registration with the Classification Society, the Operator must ensure that the Vessel maintains such additional class notations in compliance with the requirements of the Classification Society provided that any such additional class notations are consistent with the specification of the Vessel.
The Vessel complies with all other regulations and requirements (statutory or otherwise) from time to time applicable to vessels registered in the Flag State or otherwise applicable to the Vessel, her Master, officers and crew (including in relation to the number of crew) wherever the Vessel may proceed or trade and (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) at its own expense maintain in force for the Vessel all safety, radio, loadline and other certificates whatsoever and all licences and permits which may from time to time be prescribed by any legislation in force in the Flag State, any relevant port state or other applicable jurisdiction;
To improve technical performance, Calmac stated they would implement a planned predictive maintenance program. They were to partner with local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and national companies to reduce procurement, maintenance manpower, and material costs.
CFL will notify CMAL of equipment failures that impact their ability to operate a vessel and classify them as major refits, lifetime extensions, or charter upgrades. Together, they will assess the issues leading to failures and provide agreed solutions to prevent recurrence.
As the fleet ages, the Operator will plan for equipment obsolescence to ensure reliable and safe vessels that meet client, customer, and community expectations. The Operator will work with CMAL to identify potential obsolescence issues promptly. The above is aligned with good practice and should continue under CHFS3.
Maintenance Scheduling
CHFS2 outlines that the Operator will be responsible for the appropriate forecasting and planning specialists within its Operations Centre. They will be responsible for;
All annual overhaul scheduling, considering with input from the Engineering and Technical Managers, north and south.
The scheduled annual maintenance dates (as dictated by Class and MCA certificate renewals / anniversaries) for the three categories of vessel.
The periods for which the vessels are scheduled to be unavailable.
The above is aligned with good practice and should be continued under CHFS3.

Schedule Part 3 – Part B: Scheduled Maintenance Programme for Vessels, specifically:

Clause 1 (Cascade and replacement vessels)

Excerpt from CHFS3 Task Paper 15: Vessel Maintenance and Inspection

6.4.4.2. Scheduled Non-Availability
The commitments as per CHFS2 are deemed as still applicable to CHFS3 and should continue;
The Operator will put in place an effective vessel deployment plan to ensure continuity of the Service during periods of scheduled vessel unavailability. This will result in no impact (or minimal impact) on customers and the communities supported. Through robust contingency planning we will maintain performance as measured by high levels of service reliability and rapid response times when unscheduled events occur.
As a means of reducing the length of time which some vessels (major and medium vessels which are under 20 years of age, including new vessels) are out of service owing to scheduled unavailability, the Operator will aim to maximise the application of In-Water Survey (IWS).
With IWS the number of days which a vessel is unavailable is reduced (exact durations to be confirmed) proximity of survey location and the time required to travel from / to the vessel’s ‘home’ port being a factor.
For the winter timetables for each ferry route, the Operator will maintain continuity of service by planning the deployment of the fleet to cover scheduled non-availability. This plan will consider the optimal deployment of the vessels to ensure that adequacy of service is maintained.
In the event of several vessels of a class out of service at the same time, resulting in more than one route with a compromised delivery, the Operator will be responsible for the provision of service and would be required to contact other Operators and vessel owners to identify where suitable vessels (including passenger-only if nothing else is immediately available) may be sourced (subject to availability) to minimise disruptions to the communities served.

Clause 2 (Best endeavours and continuity of service)

Please see 6.4.4.2 Scheduled Non-Availability above.

Clause 4 (Minimising lost sailing time)

With regards to Clause 4 While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

Clause 7 (“Adequate scheduled maintenance time built into timetables”)

Excerpt from CHFS3 Task Paper 15: Vessel Maintenance and Inspection, 6.3.1 Collaboration with CMAL and Transport Scotland

This paper has not delved into the role of communities in maintenance planning as at the time of writing it has not been feasible to discuss this with the Operator to assess any role that communities can play in maintenance decisions. It has been noted during development of this paper however that during CHFS2, CFL have raised the idea of reductions in frequent timetables to allow for maintenance activity, although there is no evidence to suggest any formal proposals have been made. A constraint to acknowledge is that timetable changes must be made to Scottish Ministers for ratification.

Clause 10 (Scheduled Maintenance Plan requirements)

Excerpt from CHFS3 Task Paper 15: Vessel Maintenance and Inspection

6.2 Scheduled Maintenance Programme
The CHFS2 contract outlines the general principles of good practice for Maintenance and Operations in Sections 6.2.1 to
6.2.3. In the absence of detailed data on the maintenance provider's performance, it is advisable to assume that these good practices should be maintained and managed throughout the life of the CHFS3 agreement. These principles are also delineated in the NIFS contract, which is further proof of the industry's best practices.
As noted in Schedule 5, Part C of CHFS2: Scheduled Maintenance Programme for Vessels, the Scheduled Maintenance programme for vessels will ensure that the operation of the Services shall be self-relieving by Cascade (i.e., maintained by the redeployment of Fleet Vessels otherwise surplus to the requirements of the Timetable) and the Operator shall carry the anticipated demand during periods of Scheduled Unavailability.

Appendix B - Asset Management Department Scheduling
The Head of Service Delivery Planning is responsible for the development, delivery and monitoring of scheduled maintenance.
Reporting to the Director of Service Delivery, they will be responsible for overseeing the programme for out-of-service dates in connection with scheduled maintenance. The programme will be jointly developed by the technical, operations and procurement teams and will have a strategic focus on reducing the amount of time during which vessels are unavailable for deployment.
This programme will be initiated for the first year of the new Contract, then estimated across the duration of the Contract for each vessel. The outcome will be a rolling programme of out-of-service dates that forms a baseline for all dependent departments to reference.
Contingency plans will be developed by the planning team, to cover overrunning maintenance events, both for vessels and ports.
The Operator will develop measures to minimise over-running maintenance events through better planning of annual overhauls and a robust preventative maintenance programme.
The Operator will increase vessel availability through revisions to the proactive approach to scheduled maintenance and the plan for scheduled unavailability. Increased availability of service vessels (i.e. not in lay-up) will enhance reliability of service by allowing the time permitted for preventative maintenance ‘stand-downs’ to be increased.
This approach will also reduce the impact of overrunning annual overhauls. In recent years overruns have resulted in a reduced capacity provision during the Easter holiday period.
The Operator scheduling shall consider vessels’ compatibility with ports and passages within the network in order to deliver compliance with summer and winter timetables.
The Operator shall effectively programme scheduled maintenance and to manage the use of substitute vessels during those periods of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.
The Operator will have forecasting and planning specialists located within the operations centre. They will be responsible for the annual overhaul scheduling with input from the Engineering and Technical Managers, north and south.
Each of these new roles will have clear performance indicators, key accountabilities, critical capabilities, and key interfaces.

3. A copy of the current Scheduled Maintenance Plan (as required under Schedule Part 3 Clause 10).

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. This Information is available from CalMac Ferries Limited at the following link final-scheduled-maintenance-plan.pdf .
If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

4. A copy of the most recent Route Prioritisation Framework and Disruption Management Plan referenced in Schedule Part 3 Clauses 1 and 2.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. This Information is available from CalMac Ferries Limited at the following link Route Prioritisation Framework | Consultations at CalMac | Corporate CalMac. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

With regards to a Disruption Management plan, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, under section 17 of Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reason why the information does not exist is because CalMac intend to publish a Disruption Management Plan on 31 March 2026, as this is a new requirement of the CHFS3 agreement, a prior version does not exist.

5. Any Transport Scotland assessments, audit reports, or ministerial briefings evaluating CalMac’s compliance with its “best endeavours to ensure continuity of the Services” obligation under Schedule Part 3 Clause 2.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, under section 17 of Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reasons why we do not have the information is that CalMac are not obliged, under the CHFS3 agreement, to provide this information until the first completed month of the contract.

6. Any communications approving, commenting on, or rejecting timetable amendments submitted by CalMac on maintenance grounds under Schedule Part 3 Clause 7.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, under section 17 of Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reasons we do not have the information is essentially because the CHFS3 agreement only commenced in 1 October 2025 and consequently CalMac have not submitted any timetable amendments to date, under that contract.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.