A NEW ferry at the heart of a hugely controversial deal to build new ships for the CalMac network could end up being used on the Ardrossan-Arran route, Scottish ministers have said.

Transport Scotland announced on Wednesday that two new ferries are to be built as part of an effort to “accelerate replacement vessels in the CalMac fleet”.

Transport minister Jenny Gilruth said the government’s intention was that the new ships would be used on services between Skye, North Uist and Harris.

Ms Gilruth said that opened up the possibility of the as-yet-unnamed ‘Hull 802’ – currently under construction at the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow – being used to provide extra capacity on the Ardrossan-Brodick route.

MV Glen Sannox, also being built at the Ferguson yard, is already due to enter service on the Ardrossan-Arran route when the ship is finally handed over by the yard.

That handover is currently expected to take place between March and May of 2023 – more than five years after the vessel was launched.

Glen Sannox and Hull 802 are at the heart of an ongoing political row over increased costs and construction delays – as well as accusations of a lack of transparency over the award of the contract to the Inverclyde yard.

The two ships were originally due to cost £97 million - but it's estimated that the final cost could be more than £300m.

Hull 802, originally earmarked for the so-called 'Uig triangle' route linking Skye with Lochmaddy in North Uist and Tarbert in Harris, is not expected to be delivered to its owners, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, until 2024.

Transport Scotland says the two new ships announced on Wednesday – with a total project cost of £115m - will be built to the same specification as two vessels currently being built in Turkey to serve on the Islay route.

The government transport agency says this will "provide a more standardised vessel type that can be used on a variety of different routes, providing potential economies of scale and enhanced public value".

Ms Gilruth said: “The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving the lifeline ferry fleet and better meeting the needs of island communities, so I’m pleased to announce additional funding to allow CMAL to launch a procurement for two additional vessels for the CalMac fleet.

“Our intention is that these ferries would be deployed on the Skye triangle routes to Lochmaddy and Tarbert, delivering dedicated services to communities in the peak season rather than the shared vessel operation currently in place. This will create the opportunity for significantly increased capacity and resilience for the communities of the Western Isles.

“It will also allow consideration of all options to deploy Vessel 802 on an alternative route, including potentially alongside her sister ship, the MV Glen Sannox, to provide additional capacity to and from Arran in the peak season.

"All the options will be discussed with island communities at the appropriate time.”

Following Wednesday's announcement, Angus Campbell, chair of the Ferries Community Board, which represents users of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service network, said: "There is still much to be done to make the network meet the needs of our islands’ communities and businesses but this is significant step forward in the process of restoring resilience and improving capacity for the network."

The first steel was cut on the two new Islay ferries at the Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Turkey earlier this month.

Scotland’s Auditor General is considering whether to hold an inquiry into the procurement of MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802.