Sea trials for beleaguered ferry delayed

Sea trials for a much-delayed and over-budget ferry have been held up due to last-minute changes, the shipyard has said.

The Glen Sannox – the first of two ferries being built at the troubled Scottish Government-owned shipyard Ferguson Marine – was due to be in service by the spring, according to a letter from the yard’s chief executive at the end of June.

But in a further update this week, David Tydeman said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had “re-assessed the application of ‘cargo ship’ rules”, meaning internal changes had to be made to the vessel, including modifications to doorways in crew corridors and three additional staircases.

“This will mean that sea trials will move into the first quarter of the new year and the commissioning of LNG (liquified natural gas) systems at Troon (which must be done after dry-docking) will also move to after Christmas,” Mr Tydeman said in a letter to Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on Tuesday.

“We now meet weekly with key individuals from the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, CMAL and CalMac to jointly monitor the commissioning, trials and handover programme, and how this best works with the subsequent mobilisation of crew and the start of CalMac’s passenger operations.”

Mr Tydeman stopped short of confirming the changes will impact on the expected delivery date, saying instead an update on costs and handover will be given at the end of next month.

The yard was rescued from collapse in 2019, unmasking extensive issues with the two vessels and sparking two parliamentary inquiries and an Audit Scotland investigation.

The ferries, which will serve islands of Scotland’s west coast, were due to be in service in 2018 at a price of £97 million, but delays have led to spiralling costs which could amount to more than three times that figure.

Earlier this year, Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray was forced to give a ministerial direction for work on the as-yet-unnamed hull 802 to continue, after advice found it would not be “value for money”.

In a letter to the committee on Wednesday, Mr Gray confirmed there will be “delays to the handover of 801” which could “also impact on the handover date of 802”.

He added: “This interim update and confirmation of further delay is extremely disappointing, and I have again impressed upon the CEO the significant impact which this will have on our island communities.

“Scottish Government leads weekly meetings of all parties involved in the operationalisation of the vessel and I have made it clear that I expect the continuing and full co-operation of FMPG (Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow) in these meetings in order to provide the required scrutiny and challenge of any proposed changes to delivery time-frames or costs.”

The minister, he said, would also provide an update on the value for money assessment after the new costs have been made clear.

Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson said the ferry scandal had “strayed so far beyond farcical the scale of the incompetence is almost absurd”.

“But it’s not remotely amusing for Scotland’s betrayed island communities, who will be furious at this latest delay in the completion of two vessels that are already six years late and hundreds of millions of pounds over budget,” he added.

“It’s ridiculous that at this late stage extra staircases are having to be installed, and doors widened, to satisfy safety regulations. These design requirements should have been ironed out years ago.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: “Almost six years after Nicola Sturgeon held a fake boat launch complete with painted on windows, these boats are still needing design changes before sea trials can get under way.

“Islanders, taxpayers and shipyard workers have been hung out to dry by an incompetent government.

“Ministers should be compensating people for the mayhem they have caused.”