Massively-delayed ferry Glen Rosa 'could be completed nearly eight years late'

The completion of a long overdue ferry could be delayed by a further six months until April 2026, an MSP has revealed.

The latest delivery deadline for the Glen Rosa, which is being built at Port Glasgow by Ferguson Marine for CalMac, is September this year.

But Scottish Conservative MSP Graham Simpson has said he has been told the vessel may not be finished until six months later - eight years late.

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

Ferguson Marine interim chief executive John Petticrew admitted to MSPs this week there was a risk of further delay to the ferry, which should have been finished in July 2018.

He told Holyrood’s public audit committee that among completion plans being considered, “the first option would obviously be the one closer to the date we have got at present, which would be September, and that’s what we are trying to push for.”

The shipyard failed to produce an expected progress update to Holyrood’s net zero, energy and transport committee (Nzet) last Friday, while The Scotsman revealed on Wednesday that 16 major parts had been stripped from the vessel to complete sister ship Glen Sannox.

Glen Rosa is due to operate the main Arran route to Brodick alongside Glen Sannox, which entered service last month.

The two vessels are expected to cost a total of some £400 million - more than four times their £97m contract price.

Any further delay to Glen Rosa could be significant because of the ageing other vessels on the route, such as 32-year-old Caledonian Isles which is due to return in March after an unprecedented 14 months of major repairs.

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Mr Simpson told Economy Secretary Kate Forbes at Holyrood: “The public audit committee heard there could be delays to the Glen Rosa, and extra costs, which is quite alarming.

“I have subsequently been told by a source that that delay could be until April. Does that chime with what the Deputy First Minister understands? Would she regard April as an unacceptable delay? What would be a reasonable extra cost, in her view?”

Ms Forbes said: “I am afraid I do not operate on the basis of sources - I operate on the basis of the letters that are sent to the Nzet committee as updates on progress that is being made.

“As the member will know, those letters address matters around timetabling and matters relating to cost.

“As he knows, the Glen Rosa is now the yard’s primary focus, and all of the workforce is focused on delivering that vessel.”

Mr Simpson said later: “Islanders will be alarmed that Kate Forbes refused to rule out further delays to the Glen Rosa or costs increasing further.

“It simply wouldn’t be acceptable if this lifeline vessel won’t be completed until April.”

Mr Petticrew told The Scotsman on Thursday: “The Ferguson Marine team are working extremely hard to deliver Glen Rosa to the current target date.

“As we did with Glen Sannox, we are doing everything in our power to complete the vessel as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“We have acknowledged that events outside our control contributed to the delay in the delivery of Glen Sannox and we undertook measures, including reallocation of staff resource, to mitigate the risk of further delays.

“We are undertaking a thorough assessment to understand the impact of these measures and to ensure we embed all the lessons we learned.

“We are continuing to interrogate the facts to ensure we present as robust and accurate a schedule for completion as possible.”

The Scotsman revealed earlier this week how 16 major parts havd been taken from the Glen Rosa to complete its sister ship Glen Sannox, including a starter motor and various pumps.

Scottish Government ferry owning firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal) has said major parts taken from Glen Rosa also included a port auxiliary pilot pump, a fuel circulation pump, a marine gas oil circulating pump, grey water pumps, a variable frequency drive from a winch/windlass, an engine telegraph and a navigation light controller. It said all the equipment would be repaired or replaced.