The Glen Sannox has suffered a further problem after sea trials came to a halt following an inadvertent blackout.
It led to a fire detector going off in a false alarm and shut down the boat’s engines. The incident happened on Wednesday, three days into a five-day trial with the vessel due to be delivered by the Ferguson Marine shipyard to Scottish Government ferry-owning firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited in 11 days time.
The vessel is set to service the Ardrossan to Brodrick route and was initially due for delivery six years ago in 2018.
It has been hampered by issues including design difficulties and the latest issue has caused further concern.
A spokesperson for the shipyard said: “Yesterday, during day three of owner’s trials, MV Glen Sannox experienced a blackout. This was a result of inadvertently triggering a fire detector on board; although a false alarm, it ultimately resulted in the shutdown of the ship’s main propulsion. The ship was operating on marine gas oil at the time.
“Checks of the main engines were undertaken, and a soft restart followed. All systems were safely restarted without any adverse effects. However, trials were temporarily halted.
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“As a precaution, tugs were called to assist. The vessel returned to Inchgreen under her own power with a view to assessing the event and the operation of the fire detection system.”
Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson MSP said: “This latest issue with the Glen Sannox will have many islanders wondering if this ferry is cursed following so many disasters and delays.
“Problems with the liquefied natural gas system already pushed back the initial August delivery date and our island communities will understandably be frustrated if this suspension means they have to wait even longer for it to be delivered.
“Our islanders will be disheartened that the Glen Sannox has fallen at one of the final hurdles after how long it took to get it ready for sea trials.
“The SNP must urgently let them know if this blackout will delay the delivery of the Glen Sannox even further, especially if it could mean traveling over Christmas will be difficult.”
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