Latest price increase for Glen Rosa ferry ‘very disappointing’, Forbes says

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister said it was “very disappointing” the costs have risen again for completing a new ferry that is both late and over-budget.

Kate Forbes made the comments after bosses at the state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow confirmed the estimated cost to complete the Glen Rosa has now risen by a further £7 million, taking the total to £192 million.

When contingency funding is included, the overall estimated cost now stands at £197.5 million.

Opposition MSPs said that is almost five times the initial cost for the ferry, the sister ship to the Glen Sannox, which had been due to come into service in 2018 but only started carrying passengers in January 2025.

The Glen Rosa is not scheduled to be delivered to CalMac until the final quarter of 2026 after a further delay to its completion was confirmed in December last year.

On Friday, Ferguson Marine chief executive Graeme Thomson wrote to MSPs on Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to tell them of the latest price increase.

Mr Thomson told the committee: “The estimated cost to finish building Glen Rosa has increased by £7 million, bringing the total to £192 million.

“To account for potential risks, we have allocated an additional £5.5 million contingency, resulting in a total forecast cost to complete of £197.5 million.”

The Ferguson Marine boss said “this position is regrettable”, but the yard is “confident in the updated timeline and cost forecast”.

Scottish Conservative transport spokeswoman Sue Webber said First Minister John Swinney “must explain to Scots how much more of their money he’s prepared to pour down the drain” on the new ferries.

The Tory MSP said: “Hard-pressed taxpayers are once again being forced to pay the price for the SNP’s never-ending ferries fiasco.

“The Glen Rosa, now set to cost nearly £200 million, won’t enter service until the end of the year – meaning it’s now eight years late.

“Islanders have been let down at every turn by this shameful SNP Government, but not one nationalist minister has been held accountable.

“The ferries saga symbolises so much that’s wrong under the SNP. Soaring costs, broken promises and zero accountability. In any other job, this level of incompetence would mean the sack.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesman Jamie Green said the cost of the Glen Rosa is now “almost five times what the boat was originally supposed to cost”.

He added: “If I went in a pub where a pint was a fiver and it ended up costing me £25, I’d walk out, but the SNP are knee-deep in manure over this issue because they will have to keep chucking public money at this project until it’s finished.

“Ministers were warned that it would have been cheaper to scrap the vessel and start again, they ignored advice and ploughed on.”

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Daniel Johnson said: “This is yet another hit in the pocket for taxpayers, who have already forked out far more on these ferries than should have been required.

“SNP ministers have overseen this fiasco from the start, with Nicola Sturgeon even posing next to a ferry with painted-on windows for a fake launch event in 2017.

“The truth is that the skilled and dedicated workers at Ferguson Marine have been failed time and time again by SNP chaos and incompetence.”

Ms Forbes said: “While I understand the final stages of building and testing a complex vessel are highly technical – and some risks only become clear at this point in the process – the further delay and increased costs are still very disappointing, particularly for island communities which rely on ferry services.

“The Scottish Government is carefully assessing the information provided to understand the full implications of the revised timetable and costs.

“We will continue to hold Ferguson Marine to account for delivery, cost control and full transparency as the project moves towards completion.”

Edward Mountain, convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, said the increase is “yet another example of the incompetence of Ferguson Marine’s management”.

The Conservative MSP added: “They assured the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee when they gave their update last year that everything was on budget.

“However, it is now clear that they missed £7 million. This may seem a pittance to this Government when it comes to the ferries contract, but the people of Scotland will be horrified, as indeed am I.”