New ferry ‘shambles’ after another construction delay
● Novel Calmac vessel to start running a year late
Calmac’s latest new ferry will enter service at least a year late after further construction delays were confirmed.
Glen Sannox was originally due to operate the main Arran route from this summer but may not be carrying passengers until autumn next year.
Completion of the £48 million ship by Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow had already been delayed until this winter because of technical difficulties.
However, it won’t now be delivered until next summer.
That means the vessel may not be in service until autumn next year because around two months will be needed for sea trials and crew training.
The admission by transport secretary Michael Matheson comes three months after Calmac’s vessel-owning firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal) told The Scotsman that Ferguson had said “the handoverdateremainsaswinter 2018/19”.
The second of the two liquefied natural gas-powered ferries in the order has also been put back to spring 2020.
The further setback threatens another headache for Calmac, whose sailings were significantly disrupted this spring when a vessel was taken out of service for repair.
The operator has no spare ships which passenger demand is on the rise, fuelled by cuts in fares.
Ferguson blamed the delay on Cmal’s “requirements throughout the project” which had caused “unforeseen complexities”. It said winning certification for the novel vessel had also been complex.
Scottishconservativestransportspokesmanjamiegreene said: “Far from disappointing, this is still a complete shambles. Numerous stakeholders have long been warning about a catalogue of issues with the build of the new ferries.
“This is another entry in a catalogue of failures on Scotland’s ferry networks.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat counterpart Mike Rumbles said: “Passengers on the west coast will have a sinking feeling once again when they find out these ferries are delayed.”
Mr Matheson said: “Ferguson Marine has advised that the first vessel, the MV Glen Sannox, will be delivered during summer 2019, and the second vessel in spring 2020.
“While this further delay is disappointing, it is important to focus on the fact we will have two new ships joining the fleet serving the Clyde and Hebrides network that have been built in Scotland, providing vital support to our ship building industry.”