Delayed ferry Glen Rosa falls behind schedule again, as cost increases

The delivery of Glen Rosa, the second of two delayed ferries from the Ferguson Marine shipyard, has slipped once again by at least six months.

The ferry 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 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.”

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.”

Opposition parties said they would be pressing the Scottish Government for answers.

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.”

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.”

Edward Mountain, convener of Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, said: “We can now see clearly why the management of Ferguson Marine has been dragging their heels in providing the committee with an update on costings and timescales for delivery.

“Yet again, islanders are being let down and their lives and livelihoods put on hold.”