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The Herald Scotland
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Turkey ferry NV Isle of Islay on track to be delivered by October
It has been confirmed that the second of successful sea trials means that MV Isle of Islay - one of the first of the four ferries being built in Turkey in the wake of Scotland's ferry fiasco - is on target to be delivered sometime by October. State-owned ferry procurer Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) confirmed that MV Isle of Islay remans scheduled to be delivered by October - meaning in theory it could be available for the summer timetable which ends on October 19. That means that the ferry will have taken just less than three years to be complete, with work starting in October, 2022. Meanwhile, the delivery of MV Glen Rosa - the second of Scotland's two ferry fiasco vessels, is running eight years late. The latest in a long series of rescheduled delivery dates for the ship shows that it is due online sometime between April and June - next year. That's over ten years after the first steel was cut on the Ferguson Marine vessel. Glen Rosa and sister ship MV Glen Sannox were due online in the first half of 2018 when Ferguson Marine was under the control of tycoon Jim McColl, with both now due to serve Arran. The last estimates suggest the costs of delivery could more than five-fold from the original £97m cost. A second set of sea trials for MV Isle of Islay have now been carried out by the Turkish shipyard Cemre Marin Endustri in Yalova, Turkey. MV Glen Rosa (Image: George Munro) The trials took place in the Sea of Marmara from Wednesday, July 16 to Sunday, July 20 and were attended by staff from CMAL and CalMac Included in the trials were the set-up and testing of the battery energy storage system (BESS), as well as the testing and optimisation of the power management system (PMS) and energy management system (EMS). The vessel has returned to the Cemre Marin Endustri quayside, where she is undergoing further outfitting work with CMAL saying the vessel remains scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of this year. It comes as it was confirmed that Ferguson Marine was "mitigating risks" over delivery of MV Glen Rosa while it is not expected to be ready for the start of the crucial summer timetable - next year. Ferguson Marine, the nationalised Inverclyde shipyard firm at the centre of the fiasco, has Glen Rosa would be ready for passengers in the second quarter of 2026 - between April and June. Read more from Martin Williams: But the summer timetable for tourists and islanders alike is usually valid from the end of March. A ferry user group official said: "It is fantastic to hear that one of many crucial lifeline ferries is finally going to be delivered after a lack of investment. "We can but hope that the remaining issues with MV Glen Rosa can be ironed out sooner rather than later and hopefully bring to an end a dark chapter in the delivery of lifeline island services. The fact Turkey is deliver a ferry so quickly against the record of Ferguson Marine is an indictment on ferry procurement in Scotland and we can only hope that things can only get better." CalMac ferry (Image: .) Islay is being built to hold 450 passengers and 107 cars, while Glen Rosa is designed for up to 852 passengers and 127 cars. Jim Anderson, director of vessels at CMAL, said: 'The successful testing of the hybrid system [of MV Isle of Islay] marks a significant step forward in completing this new vessel for Islay and Jura. 'The team at Cemre have made good progress in the build programme for the vessel, and we continue to work closely with the shipyard as we move into the final stages of the build.' MV Isle of Islay is the first of four ferries being built at the Turkish yard, and marks what Sottish Government-owned ferry owner and procurer Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) says is a "major milestone in its commitment to delivering new ferries to serve the Scottish islands". MV Isle of Islay and sister ship MV Loch Indaal are being both being constructed for CalMac's Islay service. Construction of the vessels got officially underway in October, 2022 after the £105m contract was controversially given to the Turkish shipyard. CMAL has said that the new 310-foot vehicle passenger ferries will provide a combined 40% increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes and "improving the overall resilience" of the wider fleet. Past testing of Islay evaluated the vessel's performance at full load, including speed, stability, manoeuvrability, anchor deployment/recovery and endurance. The trials also established the effectiveness of the vessel's propulsion plant, automation and navigational systems.
The Herald Scotland
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Ferry fiasco vessel hits the water for the first time
MV Glen Rosa was pulled by the tugboat CMS Wrestler. The dual-fuel ferry is being built for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) to serve the Arran route for Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac). Port Glasgow firm [[Ferguson Marine]] announced last month that the second of the controversial ferries was on track to be delivered to [[CalMac]] next year. (Image: George Munro) MV Glen Rosa recently had funnel tops installed before moving to the dry dock. Contractors have also been on site at Ferguson's carrying out preliminary works for the ferry's mezzanine deck wire installation next month. The Ferguson CEO Graeme Thomson recently updated the Scottish Parliament's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. He informed the committee that MV Glen Rosa was heading for the dry dock as part of the final stages of construction. READ MORE: Members of the committee are set to visit Ferguson Marine in the future to see the progress of MV Glen Rosa for themselves. The first of the new ferries MV Glen Sannox officially began taking passengers in January this year. Due to ongoing investigations with MV Caledonian Isles, [[CalMac]] previously announced there is no scheduled service to Arran operating from Ardrossan and Brodick between July 25 and September 7 . MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred will operate Troon-Brodick until Sunday, September 7.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Morton in the Community blown away by response ahead of summer football camps
SCHOOL might be out for summer - but the fun's only just getting started for those at Morton in the Community. The charitable arm of Greenock Morton FC is continuing to play a vital role throughout Inverclyde this summer with the return of their popular summer football camps - and for an affordable price. Advertisement Camps are set to begin this week (Image: George Munro) In line with Active Schools Inverclyde, camps are returning to all four corners of Inverclyde from Port Glasgow High School to Wemyss Bay across a seven week period and coaches are looking forward to welcoming a huge number of kids over the course of the holidays. Blair Kelly, Morton in the Community Football For All Lead, said: "I think this is the first year we've probably went back to an old model that we did maybe about eight years ago, that's when it presented as a roadshow. "As a result of Covid, we get stuck into using one venue and we probably didn't interact with as much kids across Inverclyde and the local community that we wanted to. "This year we've opened up over seven weeks where we go for the likes of Notre Dame in central Inverclyde, down to Wemyss Bay to the top of Port Glasgow. Advertisement "We're putting ourselves out there to try and reach as much kids as we possibly can." The first week of this year's camp are set to run in line with Morton in the Community's pay what you can scheme, meaning that kids have the opportunity to play football for as much or as little as possible. And for Kelly, the introduction of the scheme earlier this year has already had a wider impact across the community, something he believes has been incredible to witness. As a result, more kids get to make the most of the chance to be outside and active over the course of the holidays. Advertisement He added: "The first week of the camps are running as part of our 'Pay What You Can' scheme. Here at Morton in the Community, we just thought it's an easy way to give kids a chance to play football that might not otherwise. READ MORE MORTON "We run programmes in partnership with the McDonald's Foundation that are free. "There's a lot of kids that go to that we never see at camps normally, now we're seeing them at camps on a regular basis. That's a by-product of both projects coming together, "Active schools are saying the same thing so it's brilliant to see it working. Advertisement The uptake we've had for camps so far this year is brilliant. "We're at best part of maybe 120 for the first day, and across our booking system we've already had over 300 bookings, which is unheard of for us recently. "We've been blown away." The camps have been praised by local Councillors (Image: George Munro) Councillor Jim Clocherty, Inverclyde Council's convener of education and communities, praised the initiative, which gives children in the area the chance to play and learn new skills in a safe and supervised environment. He added: 'The school summer holidays is an exciting time for many. Advertisement "We know it can also be difficult for working families trying to keep young people entertained and active over the next six or seven weeks without causing any additional financial strain on already stretched household budgets. 'That's why it's important that there is plenty to do over the summer holidays and partnerships like this between our active schools service and Morton in the Community are crucial for families by giving children the opportunity to play, learn new skills, and make friends in a safe and supervised environment. 'These football camps are one a number of activities organised for the summer break by active schools, youth work, libraries, the Watt Institution, and other council services alongside partners including Inverclyde Leisure to make it a summer of fun for our young people while supporting hard working families.'
Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
$95million superyacht Moonstone spotted off Gourock
The stunning Delta superyacht Moonstone, formerly known as Albatross, was first spotted in the Firth of Clyde shortly before 5am on Monday, June 16. (Image: George Munro) And eagle-eyed Chief Photographer George Munro was on hand to catch a glimpse of her. The 79.2-metre long vessel was built in 2016 when she was named Albatross, before being sold just 11 weeks after being put on the market. She made the trip to Inverclyde from Falmouth, in Cornwall, overnight. Members of our sister title Greenock Telegraph Camera Club were also on hand to mark the occasion with snaps of their own. (Image: Tommy Bamford - Greenock Telegraph Camera Club) (Image: Michael Deveny - Greenock Telegraph Camera Club) Moonstone has recently undergone a major re-fit at Damen Yachting's facility at Vlissingen, in the Netherlands. The refit included a seven-metre extension, a repainted hull, enhanced guest spaces and entertainment areas. This allowed for the addition of a beach club with a wellness centre, large outdoor pool, winter garden and enlarged exterior seating areas. Having originally measured 72.2 metres, Moonstone relaunched in March earlier this year with a seven-metre hull extension, where 10 metres had been removed and 17 metres added. Project manager Daan Langezaal said: "After months of work on this beautiful project, we proudly bid her farewell. "The collaboration with the owner's team ran like clockwork, and challenges were successfully overcome. A big thank you to everyone involved in this beautiful project."
Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- Glasgow Times
Clyde searches conclude after man overboard from ferry
RNLI and coastguard crews responded along with police to a report of a person having gone overboard from a Western Ferries vessel, MV Sound of Shuna, as it crossed from McInroy's Point to Hunters Quay at around 1.20pm on Sunday. All of Western Ferries' vessels joined the search, as did the CalMac ferry MV Ali Cat and a number of private vessels. The search was suspended at around 8.30pm on Sunday, but after coastguard teams were spotted at the McInroy's Point terminal the following day, HM Coastguard confirmed that teams from Greenock, Helensburgh, Kames and Dunoon had resumed the search on Monday. However, in a further statement on Tuesday, the coastguard confirmed that the teams involved in the search had since been stood down with nothing having been found. Police Scotland, who confirmed on Monday that a 64-year-old man had been reported missing from the ferry, also said that searches of the water had concluded. The incident occurred on Sunday (Image: George Munro) Police confirmed they were providing support to the man's family following the incident. Western Ferries and CalMac vessels took part in the search, that was also comprised of two RNLI crews, five coastguard teams, a number of private vessels as well as Police Scotland vessels. Rescue teams were seen at McInroy's Point ferry terminal in Gourock on Monday, before HM Coastguard told the Tele that teams from Greenock, Helensburgh, Kames and Dunoon had been sent that afternoon to assist in the search. In a statement issued to the Tele at lunchtime on Tuesday, a spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: "At around 1.24pm on Sunday, June 15, HM Coastguard received reports of a person overboard from a ferry travelling between Hunters Quay and Gourock, Scotland. "An HM Coastguard rescue helicopter and fixed wing aircraft were sent, alongside coastguard rescue teams from Dunoon, Greenock, Kames, and Largs. "Lifeboats from Helensburgh and Largs also joined the search. The search was stood down at around 4.30pm on June 16, with nothing found." Police Scotland also confirmed that searches of the water across the five mile stretch between Gourock and Cowal, had concluded. Enquiries remain ongoing. READ NEXT: Angry residents say re-routing of vital bus service is 'utter joke' READ NEXT: 'Glasgow deserves better': Heritage groups slam approval of O2 ABC siteplans Chief Inspector James McArthur said: "Around 1.40pm on Sunday, June 15 we received a report of a 64-year-old man missing from a ferry travelling between Gourock and Dunoon. "Police and partner agencies including the Coastguard attended and extensive searches have been carried out on the water and shorelines. Local officers have been assisted by our dive and marine unit and air support unit. "The water searches have concluded. However our enquiries remain ongoing and officers are providing support to his family."
