Scotland's deputy first minister has hit out at the major new delay from engulfing a desperately needed CalMac ferry.
Kate Forbes strongly expressed her “frustration” at the ongoing failure to deliver the ship to Ferguson Marine’s previously promised deadlines.
“Communities who depend on this service deserve better,” she stated.
As a SNP MSP covering an island and coastal constituency on the west coast, Ms Forbes is keenly aware of the severe deficiency in ferry services this new delay will cause.
Ferguson Marine “apologised unreservedly” to islanders” who face difficulties created
by the lengthy hold-up as CalMac struggles with an aging, depleted fleet unable to
provide the required reliable service to island communities.
MV Glen Rosa is designed to fit most Western Isles piers and may be deployed as a
back-up and relief ship for routes such as Stornoway to Ullapool. Her first deployment
is planned to be on the busy Arran service where her sister ship, MV Glen Sannox
- which also suffered considerable construction delays - has been stationed for four
weeks.
Timescales for the long overdue Glen Rosa have constantly been pushed back.
Implications from the latest substantial delay of up to nine months means the desperately needed ship will not be ready for service until next summer.
Costs have also soared by an estimated £35 million warns Ferguson Marine hiking her bill up to £185 million.
Ms Forbes stated: “Let me be clear, these changes at this late stage of the build programme are both unacceptable and deeply disappointing.
“The scale of the delay and cost escalation reflect challenges of leadership and control within the yard over a prolonged period, challenges which cause real consequences for the communities this vessel is intended to serve.”
She added: “This government has been clear in its expectation that the senior leadership at Ferguson Marine must demonstrate capability and accountability in the delivery of MV Glen Rosa.
“That expectation has not changed, indeed, in light of this update, it is more important than ever.”
Ms Forbes emphasised she “cannot overstate my frustration that we are once again facing a revised timeline and rising cost.”
She confirmed her Scottish Government officials, working alongside the government’s technical advisers at CMAL, will support Ferguson Marine’s review group to scrutinise the revised delivery plan, ensuring regular oversight of key milestones, cost forecasts and operational performance.
The extra £35 million earmarked to get the ship delivered exceeds the government cash allocated to Ferguson Marine and imposes implications to the Scottish Government’s finances.
“We will need time to consider fully the knock-on budgetary consequences of the revised
delivery plan,” Ms Forbes highlights.
Graeme Thomson, Ferguson Marine’s new chief executive, said: “This is not the announcement we wanted to be making at this stage and cannot overstate our understanding of the importance of providing realistic handover schedules to support CalMac to provide a more reliable and robust service to the communities it serves.
“No one wants to see the swift delivery of MV Glen Rosa more than Ferguson Marine and we are committed to working hard to ensure the vessel is delivered within this window.
“We apologise unreservedly to islanders for this additional delay and want to assure everyone that we are working extremely hard to deliver a quality vessel that showcases the skill and experience of Clydebuilt ships.
“Once delivered, MV Glen Rosa will be transformative for our island communities.”
Latest delay to hit CalMac ferry MV Glen Rosa is ‘unacceptable’ says Kate Forbes
14 May 2025