Bigger passenger ferry for Gourock to Dunoon route
The Clyde passenger ferry between Gourock and Dunoon is to run with a bigger boat designed to operate in rougher weather.
That will follow a bidding process which will see a new contract in place from June next year.
The contract length has been extended to 12 years, taking the service through to 2029.
Bidders will be required to provide a 40m (131ft) boat, up from the 26m (85ft) "Argyll Flyer".
As part of the new contract there will be penalties for service disruption.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf set out conditions for the subsidised public service contract for the Cowal Peninsula to Inverclyde route.
The current service is run by Argyll Ferries, a subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, which is wholly owned by the Scottish government. It has been criticised for technical problems and disruption to the service when there is bad weather.
The passenger-only service competes with privately-owned Western Ferries, which operates a car ferry between Gourock and Dunoon.
The next operator of the public service contract will be allowed to run a car ferry with passenger capacity, but because there is already a commercial operator, the vehicle business cannot be subsidised.