FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon and deputy John Swinney are in Inverclyde today to check on progress at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow.

They were due to visit the Newark shipyard which is currently undergoing a major redevelopment while staff work on a £97m Scottish Government contract to build two new ferries.

Ms Sturgeon and Mr Swinney will also meet with Greenock & Inverclyde SNP candidate for the Holyrood election, Stuart McMillan.

The First Minister visited Ferguson’s in August last year to announce that the company had won the lucrative £97m contract to build the next two vessels for Port Glasgow-based Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited as part of the government’s ferry renewal programme.

Mr Swinney also stopped off at the Port shipyard when the Scottish cabinet held a meeting in Inverclyde in November and led the task force that was set up when the company went into administration in August 2014 before being rescued by billionaire businessman and Clyde Blowers chief Jim McColl.

Scottish Parliament election hopeful Mr McMillan said: “I am happy to meet the First Minister and Deputy First Minister at Ferguson Marine to show them the excellent work being done here to regenerate shipbuilding on the Clyde.

“It’s great to see the First Minister back in Inverclyde again and this highlights the importance of Ferguson’s to the local area, and the importance of shipbuilding industry in Scotland.

“The SNP Scottish Government responded quickly to the closure of Ferguson’s, with ministers forming a task group which met within days. We worked hard to achieve the purchase of the yard as a going concern and were delighted when Jim McColl’s bid delivered this.

“The strategic vision for Ferguson Marine will turn it into a 21st century business within a year with ambitious plans for 1,300 jobs and £65 million of investment.

"This is a remarkable success story for Inverclyde.”

Following the visit to Ferguson’s, Mr Swinney will officially open Mr McMillan’s election campaign shop in Grey Place, Greenock.