Troubled Ferguson Marine shipyard on the Clyde has secured a contract from the Scottish Government for four vessels.

The state-owned yard at Port Glasgow will build two small ferries as well as a marine research vessel and a marine protection vessel.

The decision, announced in the Scottish Parliament, is subject to a due diligence process.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said another contract, to replace the CalMac ferry MV Lord of the Isles, would not be directly awarded, but would go to a competitive tendering process.

Ms Hyslop also announced that Ardrossan harbour is to be nationalised with the Scottish government’s ferries and ports agency expected to finalise the deal this month.

She said negotiations between Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and owner Peel Ports have now concluded.

The government has been forced to buy the harbour because new CalMac ferries ordered by CMAL for the Arran route are too big to berth safely at the existing facilities and it needs extensive redevelopment.

Ms Hyslop did not confirm how much it would cost to buy the harbour but said negotiations had been “complex” but would bring “wider benefits” to ferry services in the long term.

In a statement, Graham Simpson, Reform UK Scotland MSP for Central Scotland, said: ”We still have no idea what the government is going to pay to buy the harbour and how much has been ring-fenced to redevelop it. 

“The SNP still doesn’t know what transparency looks like. It is simply not good enough.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes told parliament that the award of the four-ferry contract would help unlock up to £14.2m of promised funding to modernise the Port Glasgow shipyard.

The contract for the MV Lord Of the Isles would be put out to open tender in the next few weeks with a view to placing an order with a shipyard later this year, despite calls for it also to be directly awarded to Ferguson Marine.

Ms Forbes told parliament: “We are strengthening ferry resilience and connectivity for communities that rely on dependable services.

“At the same time, our plans for new vessel awards would support skilled employment and industrial capability in Inverclyde, where Ferguson Marine remains an essential part of the local economy and a shipyard of national industrial importance.”

Ferguson’s, the last shipyard on the lower Clyde, employs about 300 workers, including about 50 apprentices. It has suffered from the long-running controversy over delayed and over-budget construction of the two flagship ferries – the Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa.

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “This is a welcome move from the Scottish Government that could benefit workers, communities and the surrounding areas.

“We are pleased that the Transport Secretary has worked with our movement and listened to the relentless campaigning from local communities, supported by unions, to nationalise the harbour. 

“Added to the welcome announcement of a direct award at Ferguson Marine, this is a positive day for workers and the maritime industry.

“Adopting an interventionist approach, with governments taking a direct stake in our national infrastructure, is the solid foundation required for a proper industrial strategy.  

“Too often in the past, public money has been poured into contracts without robust guarantees on pay, conditions, or training.

“That cannot happen again and the future of the harbour and Ferguson Marine must now prioritise decent employment with fair work conditions that benefits Scotland’s workforce and surrounding communities.”