Delivery of Glen Rosa ferry - already eight years late - is delayed another two months to February
Two-month setback for installation of replacement propellers
Delivery of the massively-late ferry Glen Rosa has been delayed yet again - by another two months to February.
Ministers said on Thursday they had agreed to the move so new propellers could be fitted to fix a vibration problem, even though sister CalMac vessel Glen Sannox is operating without its propellers being replaced.
The development comes a day after The Scotsman revealed the first of Glen Rosa’s two sets of crucial sea trials had still to take place, little more than two months before its completion deadline.
The first trials are now scheduled for November.
Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn said the Scottish Government-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard had “continued assurance” it would finish the ferry, which is already eight-and-a-half years, by the end of December.
But he agreed to the recommendation of a group including CalMac and Scottish Government ferry-owning firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited for delivery being postponed for propeller installation as that would be less disruptive than doing the work after the ferry entered service.
Vibration from the propellers caused a crack in the hull of Glen Sannox after it entered service last year. It underwent interim repairs and replacements are due to be fitted in its next annual overhaul.
However, Mr Flynn noted the yard’s ability to meet the December deadline was subject to “successful sea trials”, which are the acid test of a vessel’s capabilities - when it moves under its own power for the first time .
They were postponed from the summer to October, but the yard then considered bringing them forward to September “to get to key risk events as soon as possible”.
In a progress update to the Scottish Parliament’s transport committee on Thursday, Mr Thomson said they had been further delayed to November because of “a number of minor system issues”.
The ferry, earmarked for the Troon-Brodick in Arran route, will cost some £200 million - four times its original price. The yard is assessing the cost impact of the propeller decision.
Mr Flynn said: “Ferguson Marine has assured me that Glen Rosa can be delivered this year, however the handover will now be scheduled to take place in February.
“This enables new propellers to be fitted and the ship's liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel systems to be filled and commissioned only once. Doing this work now avoids the need to recall the vessel later.
“The availability of the new propeller blades ahead of schedule, coinciding with the completion of the Glen Rosa, means that the work can be done more effectively and minimise disruption to islanders.
Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat convener of the transport committee, said: “When the cabinet secretary next appears before the committee on November 18, he will need to be fleet of foot in providing concrete answers as to why, under his tutelage, islanders must suffer the consequences of yet further delays and over the winter period too.”
Reform UK Scotland transport spokesperson and committee member Graham Simpson said: “This is appalling. Glen Rosa is now going to be nearly nine years late, with every single timeline provided by this government crumbling, yet the cabinet secretary is trying to frame this latest delay as some sort of 'operational benefit'.”
Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Paul Sweeney said: “It will be hugely frustrating and deeply disappointing for islanders.
“Countless promise about the Glen Rosa have been made and not met, and this is yet another one.”
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