Hopes have been dashed over deadlines for the two CalMac ferries being built at the Ferguson Marine yard on the River Clyde.
Plans for the hand over of first ship, MV Glen Sannox, have been set back by about three months.
New safety rules for ferries operating in the UK require modifications to the vessels’ internal crew corridors. In addition, additional staircases have to be installed on three upper decks.
As a result, the Sannox’s sea trials and subsequent fault fixing are delayed until after New Year.
She seems now unlikely to commence passenger sailings before May or even June it is understood rather than the March deadline recently indicated.
Also impacted is the Christmas launch for Hull 802 which is postponed to late February or early March when the MV Glen Sanox moves down river for further tests, freeing up space at the yard quayside.
The vessels are six years behind schedule with costs soaring from an original £97 million to over £300 million.
Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow chief executive David Tydeman advised the Scottish Parliament’s transport committee of the latest delay in an updated report.
He said the commissioning of the LNG systems at Troon -
“We now meet weekly with key individuals from Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, CMAL and CalMac to jointly monitor the commissioning, trials and handover programme, and how this best works with the subsequent mobilisation of crew and the start of CalMac's passenger operations.”
MV Glen Sannox was originally due to be delivered in May 2018, with Hull 802 meant to be handed over in July of that same year.
Ferguson Marine’s long delayed ferry set to miss start of next summer season
23 August 2023
