Ferguson Marine reveals major new delay to Glen Rosa ferry completion

A hugely-delayed CalMac ferry being built by Ferguson Marine will be delayed by up to another nine months and cost an extra £35 million, the shipyard has announced.

New chief executive Graeme Thomson revealed on Tuesday that Glen Rosa would not be completed until between April and June next year compared to the previous deadline of September this year.

Glen Rosa moored at the Ferguson Marine shipyard on Tuesday May 13 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

The completion cost of the ferry has also increased from £150m to £185m - up 23 per cent since the previous estimate last year.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes described the news as “unacceptable and deeply disappointing” as she ordered enhanced scrutiny of the project.

She said: “I cannot overstate my frustration that we are once again facing a revised timeline and rising cost.”

The extra time required is even longer than feared as Scottish Conservative MSP Graham Simpson said in February he had been told the delay would be until next March.

Mr Thomson told MSPs in a letter: “Our plan will see the ship substantially complete in Q1 2026 [January-March], at which point she will embark on a commissioning plan with [Scottish Government ferry-owning firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited] Cmal, [certification authority] Lloyds Register and MCA [Maritime and Coastguard Agency] and we aim to achieve full sign-off and delivery for the vessel in Q2 2026.”

The new chief executive, who joined the Scottish Government-owned yard on May 1, said: “We are committed to continuing to work closely with all parties to ensure we deliver within this window and are exploring several measures to increase efficiency.

“I am comfortable the revised plan is well structured, the work is sequenced in a logical manner, the forecasted costs to complete are based on sound calculations and there is an appropriate level of risk attached to the costing of the schedule.”

He said later that resources had been switched to avert further delays to sister vessel Glen Sannox.

The Scotsman revealed in February that 16 major parts were stripped from Glen Rosa to be used in the other ferry, including a starter motor and various pumps.

Mr Thomson also said the completion cost had, “very regrettably”, increased further.

Glen Rosa being launched at the Ferguson Marine yard in April 2024 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

He said forecast costs would increase to £172.5m,plus an additional £12.5m risk contingency, which “means our total cost to complete is currently forecasted as £185m”.

Mr Thomson said: “This is not a financial position we are comfortable with, and we will continue to review our plan, assessing our risks to identify opportunities to bring this cost down.”

Ms Forbes said: “Taxpayers, and the communities which depend on the island ferries service, deserve better.”

She said a new weekly review group would be established, chaired by the yard and including Cmal, “to scrutinise the vessel’s delivery plan and ensure it is realistic, efficient and cost-effective”.

She said: “It is imperative there is no further delay or additional cost to deliver the vessel beyond this point. Ferguson Marine’s leadership must take immediate and sustained action to restore trust, enforce delivery discipline, and bring this project under control.”

Glen Rosa, pictured on May 13, has been moored at the Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow since being launched in April 2024 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

The CalMac vessel is due to join Glen Sannox on the route between Troon in South Ayrshire and Brodick in Arran.

The announcement coincided with a deadline set for the update by the Scottish Parliament’s net zero, energy and transport committee, which is scrutinising the project.

Convener Edward Mountain had said it was “frustrating and disappointing” the yard was three months late in reporting on progress, having said it would be provided by the end of January.

Glen Rosa should have been completed in July 2018 and in service shortly afterwards. However, along with Glen Sannox, it has been dogged by huge delays and cost overruns, which have left the ferries some four times over their £97m original budget.

The yard said the latest published figure of an extra £149m to complete Glen Sannox had still to be finalised. The new increase for finishing Glen Rosa means the two ferries could cost a total of £431m.

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This has been largely blamed on previous managements at the yard, which was taken over by the Scottish Government after going into administration in 2019.

It has been claimed that parts of Glen Sannox were installed in the wrong order to trigger interim payments, including piping for the novel liquefied natural gas propulsion system, which is used along with traditional diesel.

Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: “This astonishing news is a catastrophic blow for islanders, who have been betrayed at every turn by the SNP’s incompetence.

“The enormous increase in both the delay and the cost of delivering the Glen Rosa beggars belief – and yet it is totally in keeping with the nationalists’ scandalous mismanagement of our ferry network.

“In trying to buy some positive headlines, they allowed parts of the Glen Rosa to be cannibalised to prevent further delays to the Glen Sannox. It’s a shameful example of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“It’s simply untenable that not a single SNP minister has been sacked for this never-ending chaos. I will be demanding answers from them in Parliament on behalf of islanders.”

West Scotland Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene described the news as a “disgrace” and demanded an urgent statement from Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop to explain the “enormous” delay.

He said: “This latest delay is another hammer blow to Scotland’s islanders, who will be utterly livid at this bad news. The severe delay announced is beyond anything expected and now raises serious questions for Scottish ministers.

“The hard-working staff at Ferguson Marine have been let down by bosses, all paid huge sums of public cash, yet islanders are still waiting on their ferries.”

Glen Rosa was launched in April last year and has been moored at the Port Glasgow yard while Glen Sannox was finished at a dock in Greenock because of the lack of space.

The first ferry was completed in November last year and entered service in January.

The yard does not have any confirmed new orders after Glen Rosa, but last week The Scotsman revealed it was seeking a direct award to build a replacement for CalMac’s 500-passenger ferry Lord of the Isles.