Over this period I was lucky enough to work withВ severalВ ofВ the bestВ internationalВ designers and builders of ferries in all sectors of the businessВ covering:В small, mediumВ andВ largeВ ferries,В passenger-onlyВ ferries, passenger and vehiclesВ (ropax)ferries, cruise-ferries, high-speed and medium-speedВ ferries,В steelВ andВ aluminiumВ hullsВ or a combination of both,В as well as freight-onlyВ ferries,В pureВ car carriersВ etc. Stuart Ballantyne, Chair of Sea Transport Corporation

As a maritime economist, my job was toВ study the feasibility of ferries and other ship types on differentВ shippingВ routes worldwide, for public and private sector clients and research funding agencies including the European CommissionВ and Nippon Foundation.В Being an academicВ IВ alsoВ developedВ and published theoretical frameworksВ to assist with ferry design and operationalВ analyses andВ assessments. IВ had theВ immenseВ privilege ofВ workingВ with StuartВ and his teamВ onВ numerousВ ferryВ projectsВ and studiesВ overВ the past thirty years. It might come as a shock to learn that one of theВ worldвЂ™s most successfulВ ferry designersВ happens to beВ a Scotsman, yet hisВ repeatedВ offersВ toВ build andВ invest in ferries in ScotlandВ have beenВ rejected by the Scottish Government and itsВ haplessВ ferry agenciesВ CMAL and CalMac.В Dr.В Stuart Ballantyne, chairman of Australian-based Sea Transport Corp, is also the inventor of theВ now standardВ globalВ ferry type known as the вЂmedium-speedВ ropaxВ catamaranвЂ™ В вЂropaxвЂ™В isВ theВ industryВ term forВ a drive on/off vehicle and passenger ferry. WHY SCOTLANDвЂ™S FERRY SYSTEM IS FAILING AND WHATВ NEEDS TOВ BE DONE TO FIX IT

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