CalMac boss ‘over the moon’ as overdue ferry makes its maiden working voyage

CalMac’s chief executive said he is “over the moon” that the delayed and overbudget MV Glen Sannox has finally made its maiden voyage.

Duncan Mackison also said the ferry operator is keen for the ferry’s sister ship, the Glen Rosa, to come into service, amid fears that it could be pushed back to 2026.

On Monday, the Glen Sannox made its first passenger voyage from Troon, North Ayrshire, to Brodick on Arran.

After setting off, Mr Mackison said he was “over the moon” to see the ferry finally go into service.

He said: “This day’s been a long time coming and we’re delighted to see Glen Sannox on her maiden voyage.

“In capacity, she’s a much bigger vessel. The capacity to carry passengers and vehicles is significantly bigger.”

He said the new vessel is more modern and resilient than its predecessors, capable of sailing in worse weather conditions than smaller ferries.

Mr Mackison said: “It’s a windy and blustery day, operating in trickier conditions than perhaps other ferries will be able to.”

He said he hopes the new ferry will cut cancellations, adding, “today is certainly a good example of that”.

Asked about the progress of the Glen Rosa, he said: “Glen Rosa is due to be completed later this year – I’m not closely involved with that, but we’re looking forward to getting her on board as we know with other vessels some have been delayed, and we will work with that. We’re keen to get her as soon as we can.”

After a test passenger sailing on Sunday, CalMac said it had overcome some last-minute snags on the Glen Sannox.

However, part of the anchor system requires a replacement which is expected to arrive in early February.

“None of the issues that are left will have major impacts on our service,” Mr Mackison said.

“The mezzanine deck was sorted over the weekend. We have lots of other little niggles, one or two small things, but it’s like any new build.”

The ship was originally intended to sail from Ardrossan harbour, about 25 miles from Troon.

Plans to remodel the harbour, which is too shallow for larger vessels such as the Glen Sannox, were paused in 2023 due to costs.

Mr Mackison said the company “recognise that needs to be developed”.

Passengers onboard the ferry welcomed the arrival of the vessel.

Angus, who was visiting Arran to climb Goat Fell with his colleagues, told the PA news agency: “We’re here for our work team-building exercise, so we’re planning on climbing Goat Fell and getting the ferry back later.

“It’s a cracking big boat with great facilities. The staff have been very pleasant and the beers are very cold.”

Nicky and Kenny, who own a property over on the island, celebrated the voyage over a bottle of champagne.

Kenny said: “We’ve got a place on the island and it’s the first sailing of the Glen Sannox, so we just wanted to be a part of the occasion and celebrate that.”

Nicky added: “I think it’s really lovely. We’re really impressed as the weather was quite bad this morning.

“We were expecting the ferry to be off and the fact that it’s made it, maybe is a good indication of what it’s going to mean to the the island that it’s going to be able to go in poorer conditions.”

There are still questions about whether its sister ship, the 3,000-tonne Glen Rosa, will face further delays to its handover to the Government agency which owns the vessels.

The state-owned shipyard, Ferguson Marine, is conducting a “lessons-learned exercise” and is set to provide an estimated completion date.

Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “The initial entry into service of the MV Glen Sannox from Troon is very welcome news.

“This will support the people and economy of Arran, as well as enhancing resilience on the wider ferry network due to cascade of other vessels.

“As with any new vessel, the first few months of service will allow crew and passengers to fully experience the facilities and performance while CalMac continue to monitor systems, making changes and fixing any issues where required.

“The longer term plans for deployment of MV Glen Rosa and additional improvements to port facilities will also benefit communities in Ayrshire as well as Arran, and I look forward to updates on progress over the next few months.”