A Scottish shipyard on the Clyde has announced the handover of the first of twin newbuild dual-fuel ferries for CalMac is facing a “slight delay,” with delivery pushed back to the middle of August.
The delivery of the first newbuild to serve the Isle of Arran, Glen Sannox (pictured above), also built by Ferguson Marine, had already been delayed to the end of July but has now been postponed again to the week beginning 19 August.
The second dual-fuel newbuild, Glen Rosa, was launched on 9 April and is also to operate on traditional marine gas oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Each of the twins is to carry 1,000 passengers, 127 cars, and 16 lorries.
According to the Scottish Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, any delays are "disappointing,” but delivery will take place this summer on the Firth of Clyde route, which currently takes just short of an hour. In response to the Ferguson Marine announcement, the Conservatives said the delays would hit the tourism economy.
The shipyard’s interim chief executive officer, John Petticrew, has outlined the change to the dual-fuel ferry in a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy, and Transport Committee.
More from STV News on the development affecting the 102.4m newbuild ferry.
