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Sky News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Ferguson Marine shipyard confirms new delay and cost rise for MV Glen Rosa ferry
The delivery date for MV Glen Rosa - the second of two delayed ferries from the Ferguson Marine shipyard - has been pushed back to next year. The cost of the ship has also increased to a maximum of £185m, meaning the vessel and MV Glen Sannox have cost the nationalised shipyard about four times the original price tag of £97m. It had been hoped Glen Rosa would join Glen Sannox in serving the Arran route in September, but it will now not be handed over until the second quarter of 2026. The Scottish government-owned shipyard has been under intense scrutiny around the delays and cost increases of the two ferries. The latest update from Ferguson Marine means Glen Rosa's cost has risen from £150m to £172.5m, with an additional "risk contingency" giving a maximum forecasted cost of £185m. Former Babcock chief executive Graeme Thomson joined Ferguson Marine as its new chief executive in March. He said: "This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of the importance of providing realistic handover schedules to support 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." The ferries fiasco has been rumbling on for years. As well as repeated delays and increased costs, both vessels are too big for Ardrossan Harbour's jetty to cope with - requiring an £80m upgrade. In the meantime, services are being diverted along the coast to Troon. 2:33 Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said she had "communicated" her "disappointment and frustration" to the Ferguson Marine board over the latest delay. She added: "Taxpayers, and the communities which depend on the island ferries service, deserve better. "I have instructed that a new weekly review group be established, chaired by Ferguson Marine and comprising the yard and our independent technical advisers, CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd), to scrutinise the vessel's delivery plan and ensure it is realistic, efficient and cost-effective. "This is now operating alongside existing project meetings which continue to oversee key milestones, cost forecasts and operational performance." Opposition parties said they would be pressing the Scottish government for answers. Scottish Conservative MSP Sue Webber said: "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." Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene added: "The MV Glen Rosa should have been delivered back in 2018, now islanders might have to wait until after the next Scottish parliament election before this vessel enters service, which is a disgrace. "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."
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
SNP ferry shambles continues as shipyard bosses announce ANOTHER six month delay to lifeline vessel
The SNP 's long-running ferry shambles continued yesterday after bosses at a nationalised shipyard announced another six-month delay to a lifeline vessel. The Glen Rosa, already seven years behind schedule, will not now be handed over until the second quarter of 2026, while the cost has increased to a maximum of £185 million. It had previously been hoped the vessel would be delivered in September this year, ahead of joining the Glen Sannox in serving the Arran route, though the shipyard had acknowledged a 'risk' this deadline would be missed. The state-owned shipyard has been under intense scrutiny around the delays and cost increases of the two ferries, which are about four times the original price tag of £97 million. The latest update from Ferguson Marine means Glen Rosa's cost has increased from £150 million to £172.5 million, with an additional 'risk contingency' giving a maximum forecasted cost of £185 million. Former Babcock chief executive Graeme Thomson joined Ferguson Marine as its new chief executive in March. He said: 'This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of the importance of providing realistic handover schedules to support 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.' Conservative MSP Sue Webber said the latest delay was 'astonishing', adding: '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.' She added: 'Cynics might wonder if this news has been deliberately released today, while attention is focused on a major parliamentary vote.' Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene said: 'The MV Glen Rosa should have been delivered back in 2018, now islanders might have to wait until after the next Scottish Parliament election before this vessel enters service, which is a disgrace. '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.' Labour transport spokesman Claire Baker said 'This is yet another sorry chapter in this fiasco and a hammer blow to the island communities desperately awaiting new ferries. 'The SNP's ferry chaos means people on the islands are being cut off from loved ones, missing healthcare appointments, and struggling to keep businesses afloat. 'Taxpayers are picking up a spiralling bill for SNP incompetence and our crumbling infrastructure is missing out on much needed investment. 'Scotland's iconic shipbuilding industry is losing out on work because of SNP chaos and the skilled workers at Ferguson's yard are being forced to clean up a mess they did not create. 'The SNP has failed islanders, taxpayers and shipyard workers at every point in this farce. 'We have had a merry-go-round of government Ministers and shipyard turnaround directors, but there has been a total vacuum in leadership. 'John Swinney must step up and take responsibility for delivering this ferry and securing future work for Ferguson's yard.' On April 2, Holyrood's transport committee wrote to Ferguson Marine boss David Dishon complaining about the lack of an update for 'several months'. Convener Edward Mountain said he was 'frustrated' by the lack of a delivery timeline for the ferry which is due to operate on the Arran route Mr Mountain told the yard to provide MSPs with a date and cost by April 16 'given the significant public interest in this matter'. But it has taken until now for the yard to admit that the ferry is facing further major delays. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: 'I have communicated my disappointment and frustration to the board of FMPG (Ferguson Marine) at the confirmation of a further delay and increased estimated cost to deliver the Glen Rosa. 'Taxpayers, and the communities which depend on the island ferries service, deserve better. 'I have instructed that a new weekly review group be established, chaired by Ferguson Marine and comprising the yard and our independent technical advisers, CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd), to scrutinise the vessel's delivery plan and ensure it is realistic, efficient and cost-effective. 'This is now operating alongside existing project meetings which continue to oversee key milestones, cost forecasts and operational performance.'
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Glen Rosa delayed again as SNP Government ferry fiasco drags on for another year
The Glen Rosa was supposed to be launched in 2018 and enter service the following year but has been subject to repeated delays. The shipyard at the centre of the one biggest scandals of the devolution era has announced another delay in the competition of a long-awaited car ferry. Ferguson Marine, which was nationalised by SNP ministers in 2019, said it would not be able to complete the Glen Rosa until the second quarter of 2026. The ferry was supposed to be launched in 2018 and enter service for Caledonian Macbrayne the following year on the Troon - Arran route. Bosses at the Port Glasgow shipyard said the final bill will be £185m - up from the last estimate for £150m. Glen Sannox, the sister ferry of Glen Rosa, finally entered service earlier this year after suffering similar delays. The decision by SNP ministers in 2015 to award the contract to build the two ferries to Ferguson Marine has been repeatedly questioned in the decade since. The yard was saved from collapse by billionaire Jim McColl in 2014 but it collapsed into administration five years later with work on the ferries already hugely delayed. Former Babcock chief executive Graeme Thomson joined Ferguson Marine as its new chief executive in March. He said: 'This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of the importance of providing realistic handover schedules to support 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." Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene 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 MV Glen Rosa should have been delivered back in 2018, now islanders might have to wait until after the next Scottish Parliament election before this vessel enters service, which is a disgrace. "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. Not a single SNP minister has lost their job over this fiasco. "We demand an urgent statement to Parliament by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to explain this enormous delay."
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shipyard confirms new delay and cost rise for CalMac ferry
The delivery date for MV Glen Rosa, the second of two dual-fuel CalMac ferries being built by the nationalised Ferguson shipyard, has been put back by up to nine months. The cost of the ship has also risen - by up to £35m - meaning the two ships will cost upwards of £460m, more than four-and-a-half times the original contract price. Ferguson Marine said it now expected Glen Rosa to be "substantially complete" in the first quarter of 2026, with final delivery taking place between May and June. The ship, which is to serve CalMac's Arran route, was originally due for delivery in July 2018. MV Glen Rosa was launched from the Ferguson slipway in Port Glasgow a year ago in a far more finished state than its identical sister ship MV Glen Sannox seven years earlier. While there was much "fitting out" work still to be done, including specialist cryogenic pipework for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines, it was hoped it could be delivered by the end of September this year. Why has it taken to long to build Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa? New CalMac ferry successfully launches into River Clyde Ferguson Marine's newly-appointed permanent chief executive Graeme Thomson apologised "unreservedly" to islanders as he confirmed this was no longer possible. He said: "This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of the importance of providing realistic handover schedules to support 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." The update gave no detailed reasons but BBC Scotland News understands there have been knock-on impacts from delays in the construction of the previous ship. Glen Sannox was finally delivered to its owner, ferries procurement body CMAL, last November after a number of late stage complications with the specialist LNG pipework and commissioning of the engine systems. Sources at the shipyard said significant resources had to be diverted from Glen Rosa in order get Glen Sannox into service. In an update letter to MSPs, Mr Thomson said the cost to complete the vessel would rise from £150m to £172.5 plus a further £12.5m for contingencies - taking the forecasted cost to £185m. Glen Sannox was completed for about £150m but these figure do not include £83m paid out prior to nationalisation, or £45m of government loans that were subsequently written down. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said she has communicated her "disappointment and frustration" at the announcement to the Ferguson board. She added: "I have instructed that a new weekly review group be established, chaired by Ferguson Marine and comprising the yard and our independent technical advisers CMAL, to scrutinise the vessel's delivery plan and ensure it is realistic, efficient and cost-effective." The contracts for Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, the first LNG-powered ferries ever built by a UK shipyard, were awarded to Ferguson Marine in 2015, and both ships originally were due for delivery in 2018. But design challenges and disputes between the shipyard's former owners and government-owned ferries body CMAL led to a stand-off over claims for extra costs. Ferguson Marine maintained that a poorly-developed specification and repeated interference by CMAL had led to unforeseen complications. CMAL denied this and claimed the yard's new owners had underestimated the complexity of the project. The stalemate eventually resulted in Ferguson's going into administration and being taken into state ownership in 2019 with the project already about £100m overbudget. Problems continued after nationalisation with further delays and costs further. MV Glen Sannox is now in service on CalMac's Arran route, but the state-owned ferry operator remains under pressure as it awaits the arrival of new replacement vessels for its ageing fleet. Four other large ferries under construction in Turkey are also delayed with the first of them, MV Isle of Islay, due for delivery later this summer. Why was Glen Sannox so hard to build? Were Scotland's new gas-powered ferries a bad choice? New CalMac ferry successfully launches into River Clyde
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ferguson shipyard confirms new delay for CalMac ferry Glen Rosa
The delivery date for MV Glen Rosa, the second of two dual-fuel CalMac ferries being built by the nationalised Ferguson shipyard, has been put back by up to nine months. The cost of the ship has also risen - by up to £35m - meaning the two ships will cost upwards of £460m, more than four and a half times the original contracted price. Ferguson Marine said it now expected Glen Rosa to be "substantially complete" in the first quarter of 2026, with delivery taking place between May and June. The ship, which is to serve CalMac's Arran route, was originally due for delivery in July 2018. MV Glen Rosa was launched from the Ferguson slipway in Port Glasgow a year ago in a far more finished state than its identical sister ship MV Glen Sannox seven years earlier. While there was much "fitting out" work still to be done, including specialist cryogenic pipework for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines, it was hoped it could be delivered by the end of September this year. Ferguson Marine's newly-appointed permanent chief executive Graeme Thomson confirmed this would no longer be possible and apologised "unreservedly" to islanders. He said: "This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of the importance of providing realistic handover schedules to support 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." The update gave no detailed reasons but BBC Scotland News understands there have been knock-on impacts from delays in the construction of the previous ship. Glen Sannox was finally delivered to its owner, ferries procurement body CMAL, last November after a number of late stage complications with the specialist LNG pipework and commissioning of the engine systems. Sources at the shipyard said significant resources had to be diverted from Glen Rosa in order get Glen Sannox into service. In an update letter to MSPs, Mr Thomson said the cost to complete the vessel would rise from £150m to £172.5 plus a further £125m for contingencies - taking the forecasted cost to £185m. Glen Sannox was completed for about £150m but these figure do not include £83m paid out prior to nationalisation, or £45m of government loans that were subsequently written Sannox and Glen Rosa, the first LNG-powered ferries ever built by a UK shipyard, were both meant to come into service in 2018. But design challenges and disputes between the shipyard's former owners and government-owned ferries body CMAL led to a stand-off over claims for extra costs. The stalemate eventually resulted in Ferguson's going into administration and being taken into state ownership in 2019. Problems continued after nationalisation with further delays and soaring costs. MV Glen Sannox is now in service on CalMac's Arran route, but the state-owned operator remains under pressure as it awaits the arrival of new replacement vessels for its ageing fleet. Four other large ferries under construction in Turkey are also delayed with the first of them, MV Isle of Islay, due for delivery later this summer.
