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

Six years later than planned, the 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 familiarization trials before being commissioned by the crew in early to mid-January.

Glen Sannox will operate from 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 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the shipyard to launch Glen Sannox – which was far from finished at the time and had had its windows painted.

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

Duncan Mackison, interim chief executive of 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 are getting 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 we serve, Arran in particular, it means they get a fantastic new boat, 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 ships entering the fleet. Each new ship brings fewer breakdowns, more reliability, less disruption to the fleet and less impact on timetables.

“We are now moving into delivery for the operational phase, which is about six-and-a-half weeks. It’s primarily about familiarizing the crew and getting the ship out on the route she’s going to operate and making sure we’re comfortable with her – and she will start in mid-January.”

In 2019, the Scottish Government rescued Ferguson Marine from administration, discovering problems with the design and construction of the vessels which repeatedly pushed back their delivery dates.

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 Thursday that the ferry’s delivery is a “significant milestone for Ferguson Marine.”

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

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

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

“But there is no doubt that it has taken a long time to get to this point, and we sympathize with ferry users who have waited so long to see this day.

“As we look to the future, our ability to adapt, learn from and successfully overcome major challenges demonstrates the resilience and competence of our workforce, and will provide tremendous value as we bid for future contracts.”

CMAL will now carry out several 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 begin 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 MV Glen Sannox and are just weeks away from her commencement of service.

“This is the first of six larger vessels to be replaced in our fleet, with the other five well on their way.”

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

Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said: “The workers at Ferguson Marine are skilled, dedicated and completely above reproach for the mistakes made during this project.

“They have done their job to the highest standard and worked tirelessly to deliver two huge ferries, for which their yard was ill-equipped, despite the many problems they did not create.

“Now companies from all over the world are being invited to bid to build Scotland’s small ferries, exactly the kind of work that this shipyard has carried out successfully for generations.

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