Scottish Government owned shipyard Ferguson Marine to cut nearly a quarter of its workforce

Ferguson Marine, the Government-owned shipyard in Port Glasgow, has announced plans to cut nearly a quarter of its workforce.

Workers have been invited to apply for voluntary redundancies, with the shipyard saying formal consultations have opened.

The firm currently employs 283 staff, which includes 34 apprentices, and says it expects to cut up to 70 of its employees through the voluntary process.

It comes as construction on the long-delayed MV Glen Rosa is nearing completion.

The Glen Rosa and her sister ship, Glen Sannox, were due to come into service in 2018. The Glen Sannox only started carrying passengers in January 2025.

The Glen Rosa is due to be complete by the end of this year.

Ferguson Marine was nationalised in December 2019. It is the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde.

The Scottish Government announced in March it would directly award the shipyard the contract for four future ships.

Those contracts are yet to be confirmed, with the Scottish Government saying “due diligence” is still under way.

It said that would be for two smaller ferries to serve the Sound of Harris and the Sound of Barra, and two fishery support vessels.

The then economy secretary Kate Forbes said at the time: “This is a substantial and clear demonstration of our confidence in Ferguson Marine.”

She added that: “Engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority is also among the steps that are required before any formal contract award decisions can be made.”

The shipyard says it is facing an “inevitable gap in workload” as it waits for those contracts.

CEO of Ferguson Marine, Graeme Thomson, said: “Our immediate focus remains the safe, high-quality handover of Glen Rosa in Q4 2026.

“However, as the vessel nears completion, we face an inevitable gap in workload while we work with the Scottish Government to make the relevant preparations to enable us to proceed with contract negotiations.”

He added: “We take our responsibility to our workforce and community incredibly seriously.

“By offering a voluntary redundancy path, we want to support team members who have given so much to shipbuilding on the Clyde as they consider their next steps.

“At the same time, we are doing everything in our power to ensure the yard is structured to offer secure, long-term careers once the new build programme gets under way.”

Ferguson Marine has confirmed the consultation process will not impact the delivery of the Glen Rosa.