First of two over-budget and delayed ferries finally delivered

The archetypal of 2 precocious and over-budget ferries being built astatine a beleaguered Scottish Government-owned shipyard has been delivered.

The Glen Sannox has been handed to the Government’s ferry procurement limb Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) aft it was fixed the greenish airy by regulators earlier this week.

The vas – and its sister vessel the Glen Rosa – were owed to participate work successful 2018 but person been beset by problems which person besides quadrupled the £97 cardinal archetypal cost.

In 2019, the Scottish Government rescued Ferguson Marine from administration, discovering issues with the plan and physique of the ships which pushed their transportation dates backmost repeatedly.

It ignited a governmental firestorm which sparked 2 parliamentary inquiries and 1 of the longest moving scandals since devolution.

The transportation comes 7 years to the time since past archetypal curate Nicola Sturgeon visited the gait to motorboat the Glen Sannox – which was acold from finished astatine the clip and had had its windows painted on.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said connected Thursday the transportation of the ferry is an “important milestone for Ferguson Marine”.

She added: “The Glen Sannox volition supply resilience to the fleet, delivering captious lifeline services to islanders, and I americium encouraged that the Scottish Government’s wider programme to procure six caller ferries by 2026 has taken different large measurement forward.”

Ferguson Marine interim main enforcement John Petticrew said it is simply a “day to look forward”.

He added: “Glen Sannox is simply a good vessel, good susceptible of providing decades of work for islanders and visitors.

“However, determination is nary uncertainty it’s been a agelong haul getting to this point, and we sympathise with ferry users who person waited truthful agelong to spot this day.

“Looking to the future, our quality to adapt, larn from and successfully flooded sizeable challenges demonstrates the resilience and skills of our workforce, and volition supply immense worth arsenic we tender for aboriginal contracts.”

The vas volition present acquisition aggregate weeks of trials by CMAL to guarantee it is up to the occupation of transporting passengers betwixt the mainland and the Isle of Arran earlier it tin participate service.

CMAL main enforcement Kevin Hobbs said: “I’m definite galore radical volition articulation america successful celebrating this milestone today.

“It has been a agelong clip coming, but we person present taken ownership of the MV Glen Sannox and are conscionable weeks distant from her entering service.

“This is the archetypal of six large vessels being replaced successful our fleet, with the different 5 good nether way.

“We are moving hard to rejuvenate the Scottish ferry fleet and infrastructure, connected behalf of communities crossed Scotland.”

Duncan Mackison, interim main enforcement of ferry relation CalMac, said: “MV Glen Sannox is simply a invited summation to the CalMac fleet.

“Her accomplishment volition payment communities crossed the full westbound seashore ferry network, arsenic caller tonnage gives america much flexibility successful however we deploy vessels.

“Our unit are excited to sail her and volition present get to enactment to implicit operational trials and familiarisation enactment successful the adjacent fewer weeks earlier she enters work for Arran.”