Another delay for long-awaited ferry confirmed

One of the two long-delayed ferries for the Clyde and Hebrides route has been further delayed until the end of September.

The Glen Sannox had been due to enter service on 19 August – that date in itself a delay from 31 July – but the vessel now requires further works.

In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, interim CEO of the Ferguson Marine shipyard John Petticrew said the ferry would not be handed over on 30 September.

An estimate of the final cost for the vessel is still being calculated and MSPs will be updated shortly.

Petticrew wrote: “We have, regrettably, identified an additional number of areas which require to be completed on the vessel before we can proceed to acceptance trials. The majority of these works will have to take place in relatively small engine spaces, which are already delayed by to the prolonged installation of the LNG system, due to the complexity of installation and need to examine the integrity of the pipework.

“This will add to workforce congestion in these areas and, with that, a requirement to re-evaluate our work practices to maintain the highest standards of health and safety for staff and contractors, and to continue to achieve the highest standard of quality of work which we have delivered to date.”

He added that a handover date of late September would prove “breathing room” and could be “pulled forward” should no further issues arise.

The Glen Sannox has originally been expected to enter service in summer 2018, having been ordered in 2015.

But a series of delays, changes to its design and problems at the shipyard – which ultimately resulted in a government takeover – has meant that date has been repeatedly pushed back.

Now six years late, the price for it and another ferry – the Glen Rosa – has ballooned from an original cost of £97m to more than £300m.

The Scottish Conservatives said the latest delay was “beyond… a cruel joke”.

Transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: “This latest failure piles insult on injury for our island communities, who have been let down at every turn by SNP incompetence.

“This is a national embarrassment that has cost the Scottish taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds, yet the delays continue. There can be no more excuses. Ministerial heads must roll.”

MV Glen Rosa is expected to enter service in September 2025.