Inside the Glen Sannox: First pictures on board long-delayed ferry

Six years later than planned, the over-budget Glen Sannox ferry is almost ready to set sail for Arran.

It has been handed over by the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow and will now undergo several weeks of crew familiarisation trials before entering service in early to mid-January.

The Glen Sannox will operate out of Troon for the first few years while the port at Ardrossan is reconfigured.

The delivery of the vessel comes seven years to the day since then first minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the yard to launch the Glen Sannox – which was far from finished at the time and had had its windows painted on.

Along with its sister ship, the Glen Rosa, the ferries were due to enter service in 2018 but have been beset by problems which have also quadrupled the initial cost of £97m.

Duncan Mackison, interim chief executive at CalMac told STV News he felt a sense of huge excitement, tinged with relief, and a real sense of optimism about the future after the ferry was finally delivered.

He said: “For us as a company, it means we get a fantastic, state-of-the-art, brand new vessel and our crews will enjoy living and operating on a vessel of that calibre.

“For the communities that we serve, in particular Arran, it means they get a fantastic new boat, which is commensurate with the quality of their island, and we hope many, many people will travel there to experience the boat and Arran.

“It also marks a new chapter in terms of new vessels coming into the fleet. Each new vessel will come with less breakdowns, more reliability, less disruption to the fleet and less impact on the timetable.

“We now enter the delivery to operations phase, which is about six-and-a-half weeks. That’s primarily around crew familiarisation and getting the vessel out and about on the route she’s going to operate in and make sure we’re comfortable with her – and she’ll get into service by the middle of January.”

In 2019, the Scottish Government rescued Ferguson Marine from administration, discovering issues with the design and build of the ships that repeatedly pushed their delivery dates back.

It ignited a political firestorm that sparked two parliamentary inquiries and one of the longest-running scandals since devolution.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said on Thursday that the ferry’s delivery is an “important milestone for Ferguson Marine.”

She added: “The Glen Sannox will provide resilience to the fleet, delivering vital lifeline services to islanders, and I am encouraged that the Scottish Government’s wider programme to procure six new ferries by 2026 has taken another major step forward.”

Ferguson Marine interim chief executive John Petticrew said it is a “day to look forward”.

He added: “Glen Sannox is a fine vessel, well capable of providing decades of service for islanders and visitors.

“However, there is no doubt it’s been a long haul getting to this point, and we sympathise with ferry users who have waited so long to see this day.

“Looking to the future, our ability to adapt, learn from and successfully overcome considerable challenges demonstrates the resilience and skills of our workforce, and will provide huge value as we tender for future contracts.”

CMAL will now conduct multiple weeks of trials on the vessel to ensure it is up to the job of transporting passengers between the mainland and the Isle of Arran before it can enter service.

CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs said: “I’m sure many people will join us in celebrating this milestone today.

“It has been a long time coming, but we have now taken ownership of the MV Glen Sannox and are just weeks away from her entering service.

“This is the first of six major vessels being replaced in our fleet, with the other five well under way.”

GMB Scotland, the biggest union at Ferguson Marine, welcomed the completion of the Glen Sannox but said securing future work for the Port Glasgow yard is now the priority.

Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said: “The workers at Ferguson Marine are skilled, committed and entirely blameless for the errors made during this project.

“They have done their job to the highest quality, working tirelessly to deliver two huge ferries, which their yard was ill-equipped for, despite the many problems not of their making.

“Now firms from around the world are being asked to bid to build Scotland’s small ferries, exactly the kind of work this yard successfully completed for generations.

“There is no doubt that work should come to Port Glasgow and the future of Ferguson Marine secured.”