'Heads should roll' over 'pandemic' of ferry fiascos as new delay emerges

It has emerged that could lead to a further rise in costs.

Once handed over, there will be period of two months before it is allowed to have passengers on board to allow state-owned ferry operator  CalMac to prepare the vessel to accommodate passengers. The summer timetable ends on October 20.

The continual reassessment of the dates of delivery of Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa are understood to have cost the jobs of the last Ferguson Marine chief executive David Tydeman.

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After the last in a long series of rescheduling surfaced at the end of April meant that it was due to be handed over in July, wellbeing economy secretary Màiri McAllan said she believed it would be the last in the wake of the appointment of Mr Tydeman's replacement John Petticrew.

Then she said: "The confirmation of further delays to Glen Sannox is unacceptable and disappointing, in particular for our island communities and users across the ferry network.

“However, I am pleased the interim chief executive considers this to be the final position, with no further delays expected and confirmation that cost forecasts remain the same. I will continue to impress on both him and the Ferguson Marine board the importance of ensuring both ferries enter service as soon as possible.”

The latest rescheduling is the second under Mr Petticrew's short interim stewardship.

The shipyard continues to have trouble with the so-called green liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel system for the ferry after facing delays from suppliers.

Both Glen Sannox and its sister ship, the also delayed Glen Rosa, are designed to run on both traditional marine gas oil and LNG.

The three week delay for Glen Sannox which emerged in July was because of issues with the so-called green dual fuel system.

The latest issues surround further problems with the installation of the LNG system.

Mr Petticrew said: “We have, regrettably, identified an additional number of areas which require to be completed on the vessel before we can proceed to acceptance trials.

“The majority of these works will have to take place in relatively small engine spaces, which are already delayed by the prolonged installation of the LNG system, due to the complexity of installation and need to examine the integrity of the pipework."

(Image: Derek McArthur)

He added: “Following a review of these challenges, we are conscious of the risk associated with nearing completion of MV Glen Sannox’s ‘first-in-class’ dual fuel design and we therefore signal an official handover deadline of September 30, 2024.

“This date, which would allow us breathing space to consider any unknown issues during LNG/owners trials and post-trial inspections, could, however, be pulled forward should we prove the vessel with no issues raised at sea trials or during the final sign-off procedures.”

Both Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa were due to be ready in the first half of 2018, with both now due to serve Arran, but will be over six years late, with costs expected to be quadruple the original £97m contract.

But the dates of arrival have been constantly in a state of flux as their construction has been plagued by design challenges, cost overruns and delays.

A ferry user group official said that "heads should roll" in government for what he called the "pandemic of disasters".

"It is quite frankly unbelievable even amidst the calamities we have seen with his project that we are told after all that is happened, that that is the last of the delays and month later we have two further delays.

"It just beggars belief that the level of incompetence that has been shown in this saga has not resulted in more obvious sackings not just within Ferguson Marine but in government.

"The Scottish Government and Ferguson Marine need to get their fingers out to sort this catastrophe."

Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson said: “This beggars belief – or it would if this SNP scandal had not long gone beyond being a cruel joke.

“Betrayed islanders have been waiting years for these vital lifeline ferries, and were only recently told that the Glen Sannox would miss the whole of the crucial summer season. Now it will not sail before the end of September at the earliest.

“This latest failure piles insult on injury for our island communities, who have been let down at every turn by SNP incompetence.

“This is a national embarrassment that has cost the Scottish taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds, yet the delays continue. There can be no more excuses. Ministerial heads must roll.”

Ousted chief executive David Tydeman was fired in March after a tumultuous two years at the helm of the nationalised shipyard as he warned of yet more delays to delivery.

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Nationalised Ferguson Marine warned at the end of December that there could be a further delay of two months as it was facing "supplier issues" which is delaying the commissioning of the vessels' LNG propulsion systems.

A further delay was going to push back the completion of Glen Sannox beyond a scheduled date of March, and would be expected to affect sister vessel Glen Rosa’s arrival on May 2025.

The Scottish Government has previously said all systems – including the LNG propulsion – will need to be completed before the state-owned ferry and port-owning agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd can take delivery.

The dual-fuel ferries which were meant to be identical were lauded by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as the 'sustainable' ferries that would "contribute to Scotland's world-leading climate change goals".

They were hailed as a step towards a greener future for Scotland's state owned CalMac ferry fleet as they were to be the first UK-built ships capable of running off liquefied natural gas, or LNG, as well as conventional diesel.