Ferry fiasco ship delayed until Spring 2026 as costs rise by £22.5million
SCOTLAND's ferry fiasco ship has been delayed for another six months with costs rocketing by another £22.5million, it has been confirmed.
Ferguson Marine confirmed in a letter to MSPs today that the Glen Rosa, sister ship to the troubled Glen Sannox which entered service earlier this year, would now only be ready by "Q2 2026".
Advertisement
The update comes after a long delay, with the Glen Rosa now set to be delivered seven years late.
We reported in January how Holyrood insiders expected the news despite the yard's insistence it would be finished in September this year.
The new chief executive at Ferguson Marine, Graeme Thomson, apologised for the fresh delay.
He said: "This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of thimportance of providing realistic handover schedules to support
Advertisement
CalMac to provide a more reliable and robust service to the communities it serves.
'No one wants to see the swift delivery of MV Glen Rosa more than Ferguson Marine and we are committed to working hard to ensure the vessel is delivered within this window.
'We apologise unreservedly to islanders for this additional delay and want to assure everyone that we are working extremely hard to deliver a quality vessel that showcases the skill and experience of Clydebuilt ships.
"Once delivered, MV Glen Rosa will be transformative for our island communities.'
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Prestwick Airport and Ferguson Marine causes for celebration
Prestwick Airport, owned by the Scottish Government since 2013, has enjoyed a flurry of good news. Last month it unveiled another major success when it announced British aircraft manufacturer AERALIS had selected Prestwick Airport as the location for the final assembly of its UK aircraft. My column last month for The Herald on this win observed: 'As well as offering the prospect of a significant number of jobs of high quality, like the thousands already at the aerospace cluster in and around Prestwick Airport, the news from AERALIS also grabbed the attention because of the Red Arrows (Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team) dimension. 'AERALIS notes it is 'the only British programme designing and building a light jet aircraft to deliver a replacement for the Red Arrows and for a lucrative international export market'.' Prestwick Airport has recently announced agreements with Air China Cargo and China Southern Air Logistics relating to the operation of freighter services between Guangzhou and Prestwick. China Southern began operating four flights a week from Guangzhou to Prestwick on May 16. And, on June 2, Air China Cargo started operating three flights a week. The column concluded: 'It is very pleasing to see a patient, long-term approach at Prestwick Airport bearing fruit, with the huge amount of good news in recent months. We should be very grateful indeed that Prestwick Airport was rescued for many reasons – notably including the economic contribution of the airport and the cluster around it and the valuable employment provided.' Meanwhile, the important boost amid turbulent times for the second asset owned by the Scottish Government was for the Ferguson Marine shipyard at Port Glasgow, in the form of a contract from BAE Systems for the Type 26 frigate programme. Read more My column on this contract win, for The Herald on Sunday on July 13, observed: 'The Ferguson Marine shipyard at Port Glasgow was in the headlines again last week – and it was thankfully good news this time. 'The yard has not had its troubles to seek in recent years, with attention focused on cost overruns and delays on the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferries being built for Caledonian MacBrayne. 'So it was heartening to learn the yard, which provides such crucial employment in Inverclyde, had won a significant contract. Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd last week announced that it had signed a contract with BAE Systems to fabricate three structural components for 'Ship 4 HMS Birmingham', the fourth frigate being built as part of the Type 26 programme.' The column observed Graeme Thomson, the recently appointed chief executive of Ferguson Marine, had made some important points around the award of the work. It noted, in particular, Mr Thomson had declared it 'proves the ability of our skilled workforce to secure new business'. And the column highlighted the fact BAE Systems, which engaged Ferguson Marine previously to build two units on the Type 26 programme, had described its relationship with the Port Glasgow yard as 'productive' as the new contract award was announced. The column went on: 'This positive tone came from Simon Lister, managing director of BAE Systems' naval ships business, who also described Ferguson Marine as 'a key supplier of structural steelwork on the Clyde'. 'And his comments are particularly heartening because they are based on the work Ferguson Marine has done for BAE Systems already, with Mr Lister highlighting the fact the Port Glasgow yard has built two units for the Type 26 programme. This surely highlights the quality of work the yard can produce. This is a very significant positive in the context of all the noise around the Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox contract and given the importance of Ferguson Marine securing new work so, as [Deputy First Minister Kate] Forbes puts it, the yard can 'succeed and survive'.' Read more The column described the BAE Systems contract as a 'very positive development' in Ferguson Marine's journey and concluded: 'Hopefully, Ferguson Marine can now build on this momentum.' Another positive story I have covered in recent weeks is the ambition to create hundreds more jobs at the Methil fabrication yard, as its new owner aims to capitalise on opportunities arising from the offshore wind energy boom. In an exclusive interview, the head of the Methil yard, which was acquired earlier this year by Spanish state-owned group Navantia, revealed hopes of at least doubling the workforce from less than 180 to between 350 and 400 within the next two or three years. Matt Smith also highlighted a possibility the headcount could rise as high as 600, depending on the work that comes into the yard. Mr Smith, who has been at the Methil yard for 12 and a half years under various owners, highlighted 'ups and downs' over this period and described the current trajectory as 'probably the most significant up we have been on with the acquisition by Navantia this year'. He flagged the boost to the local economy when the Methil yard was busy, as well as underlining the scale of the opportunities in the renewables sector and the site's capacity to undertake defence work. Highlighting the scale of planned renewables development and his belief there is '20 years-plus worth of work that is sitting out there', with potential for this to grow, he declared: 'I really genuinely see Scotland playing a big part in this. It has to. The reality is it has to. 'I've stayed with this yard through all sorts of troubles and I'm staying with it now because of the fact I can see the potential for the success of the yard becoming what it used to be and what it should be again.' A column I wrote for The Herald on these plans, after breaking the story about the major ambitions on the jobs front, observed: 'Too many of the stories around Scotland's fabrication yards over the years and decades have been dismal: threats of closure which have often crystallised, job losses, hard times, and so on. There has been so much uncertainty for huge numbers of workers in this sector, at various locations, over the decades. Where there have been hopes of revival, sometimes these have been dashed. 'Much has changed over the decades for the fabrication yards, with a lot of the focus in recent times having been on renewables. And it has been difficult to shake the feeling that the renewables boom has not generated as much as might have been expected for Scotland in contracts and jobs.' However, the column went on: 'Chatting to the general manager of the Methil yard, Matt Smith, and to Abel Mendez Diaz, commercial director of Navantia Seanergies, what offered much encouragement was the detail of the strategy, the scale of the ambition and the positive tone about what could be achieved. It is important to have all of this as the yard looks to the future. 'The arrival of Navantia as owner and the plans and positivity about the future suggest there are grounds on this occasion for genuine optimism.' This article was first published in The Herald's Business HQ Monthly supplement
.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26auto%3Dwebp%26quality%3D75%26crop%3D3%3A2%2Csmart%26trim%3D&w=3840&q=100)
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Scotsman
Glen Rosa in pictures as long-delayed Ferguson Marine ferry achieves major dry dock milestone
New pictures have emerged of the long-delayed Glen Rosa ferry. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Glen Rosa, the second of the two delayed ferries being built at Ferguson Marine, is leaving dry dock after the hull was freshly painted. The ferry was moved into dry dock in Greenock earlier this month, in what was hailed as a 'key milestone' in the vessel's construction. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Glen Rosa during an inspection at Dales Marine, Greenock. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire | PA It will now return to the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow for the final part of its interior fit-out. According to the latest estimates, the Glen Rosa is due to be handed over in the second quarter of 2026. PA A spokesman for Ferguson Marine said Glen Rosa would be moved from dry dock on Wednesday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: Ferguson Marine reveals major new delay to Glen Rosa ferry completion He said: 'Thanks to the team of yard staff, she now has a freshly painted hull and polished propeller and is ready to be moved back to the Ferguson Marine yard for final interior fit out.' The Glen Rosa, along with its sister ship, the Glen Sannox, was meant to be delivered in 2018, but have been plagued by delays and cost overruns. They are now thought to be more than triple the original price tag of £97 million.
The National
4 days ago
- The National
Glen Rosa ferry leaves dry dock to return to Port Glasgow
The ferry was moved into dry dock in Greenock earlier this month, in what was hailed as a 'key milestone' in the vessel's construction . THE Glen Rosa, the second of the two delayed ferries being built at Ferguson Marine , is leaving dry dock after the hull was freshly painted. It will now return to the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow for the final part of its interior fit-out. According to the latest estimates, the Glen Rosa is due to be handed over in the second quarter of 2026. READ MORE: Rachel Reeves 'to hit taxpayers' as £51bn black hole found in public finances A spokesperson for Ferguson Marine said Glen Rosa will be moved from dry dock on Wednesday. (Image: Jane Barlow) He said: 'Thanks to the team of yard staff, she now has a freshly painted hull and polished propeller and is ready to be moved back to the Ferguson Marine yard for final interior fit out.' The Glen Rosa, along with its sister ship, the Glen Sannox, were meant to be delivered in 2018 but have been plagued by delays. They are now thought to be more than triple the original price tag of £97 million. Glen Sannox was handed over to a government agency last year and began carrying passengers in January.
