A CALL has been made for Ferguson's to be guaranteed orders for the next 20 years and the workforce grown to 800 now that the Scottish Government's public takeover has been finalised.

Councillor Chris McEleny, leader of the Inverclyde Council SNP group, is urging ministers to ensure the Newark shipbuilder is central to the renewal of the ageing CalMac ferry fleet.

It comes after nationalisation of the yard was rubber-stamped on Monday.

The announcement was made by finance and economy secretary, Derek Mackay, who also revealed that the business will now be known as Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd.

The new name of the business is a nod to the original title of the company, Ferguson Brothers (Port Glasgow) Ltd, when it was established in 1903.

Mr McEleny said: "With the ability to give the yard 20 years of guaranteed work to build a new modern fleet of CalMac vessels, we can provide a strong foundation to re-industrialise the entire lower Clyde on the back of that guarantee. "This yard, and its hard working staff, has the potential to grow to create at least 800 jobs in the near future."

Despite three bids from private operators, the government's offer was the preferred choice by administrators Deloitte after the yard entered administration earlier this year.

Ferguson's went bust for the second time in five years in August because of a disastrous £97m public contract for two new CalMac ferries.

The vessels are over two years late and now expected to cost double the original price.

Former Ferguson's owner Jim McColl, who rescued the business in 2014, was forced to relinquish control with the government taking over on an interim basis to retain almost 300 workers until the sale process was completed.

Mr Mackay said: "We've been working for over two years to find a resolution to the difficulties at Ferguson Marine and our priorities remain the completion of the two CalMac ferries, protecting jobs, and securing a future for the yard.

"In the absence of a workable commercial solution the administrators have concluded that public ownership is in the best interests of the creditors.

"Now that this has been confirmed, I'm determined that we continue to work closely with everyone at the yard to progress work on the vessels and achieve the best possible outcome for the yard and its employees.

"Recruiting more staff to Ferguson Marine is a significant step forward in making this happen.

"Establishing a revised timetable for the completion of the two ferries also remains one of the main tasks for the management at the yard and I will give an update on the schedule and cost for delivery of the two ferries as soon as possible.

"While there is still more to be done, our actions have ensured that there will be a future for Ferguson Marine."