Western Ferries on EU CalMac ruling

"This is a positive decision from Western Ferries point of view, the Scottish Government is now under notice and close scrutiny from the EC to bring forward, on short order, a tender to bring the Gourock-Dunoon route into line with European regulations and to create a level-playing field. Unfortunately, there is not enough information available at this time do determine what will be tendered but the service specification has effectively been volleyed straight back to the Scottish Government for them to resolve.

"With regards the issue of anti-competitive behaviour, the decision does not give a clean sheet with regards to CalMac’s past activities, obviously the EC discovered some evidence of subsidy misuse and market distortion, so I believe it’s a very much a case of Not Proven.

"We now await the full report to see the detail behind this judgement, to understand the implications for Western Ferries and the full responsibilities placed on the Scottish Government."

Gordon Ross
Managing Director
Western Ferries