This week’s announcement of major job losses at Ferguson Marine is very sad news indeed.

It would be difficult to overstate just how bitter a blow this is to the workforce at the Port Glasgow shipyard, which has been owned by the Scottish Government since 2019, and to an Inverclyde economy which certainly does not have its challenges to seek.

Ferguson Marine chief executive Graeme Thomson’s words on the matter throw into stark relief a difficult balancing act as the yard, in its words, “manages the transition between completing its current order book and starting work on a new phase of shipbuilding contracts”.

The key part of the current order book is the long-delayed Glen Rosa, due for delivery in the fourth quarter for Caledonian MacBrayne to operate on the Arran route.

As Ferguson Marine announced plans to cut up to 70 jobs through a voluntary redundancy programme, Mr Thomson said: “Shipbuilding capability relies on continuity and while changes of this nature are difficult, taking proactive action now ensures we protect the long-term viability of the yard and remain lean, modern, and ready to cut steel on the new fleet as quickly as possible.”

This “continuity” part is crucial.

There has been much talk, and rightly so, amid what has in recent years been a difficult period for Ferguson Marine, about the challenges of gathering and retaining a highly skilled workforce.

Ferguson Marine currently employs 247 core staff as well as 32 apprentices and 31 agency workers.

It surely goes without saying that the loss of up to 70 employees because the order book necessitates a reduction in the workforce is a very significant negative in the skills equation.

That said, Mr Thomson and his management team have to, in his words, “protect the long-term viability of the yard”.

There is no doubt that ensuring the survival of........

© Herald Scotland