The second of two much-delayed and over-budget ferries will not be completed until May 2025 and the cost of both vessels has soared further, it has emerged.
The Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, which are being built at the troubled Scottish government-owned shipyard Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, were originally due to be in service in 2018 at a total price of £97m.
However the yard’s chief executive, David Tydeman, has now said the cost for completing the Glen Sannox has risen to £130m (up from an estimated £114m in June) and for the Glen Rosa it has increased to £110m (up from £109m in June).
This means the cost for both vessels is now an estimated £240m, while contingency costs could increase the overall spend by a further £30m in a worst case scenario.
With £83.25m spent on the ferries and £45m loaned to the company prior to nationalisation by the Scottish government, the latest increase means the ships will cost more than £360m.
The expected delivery date of the Glen Sannox is now 31 March next year, and for the Glen Rosa it is 31 May 2025. The second vessel had been expected in 2024.
In June, Mr Tydeman told MSPs the cost of completing one of the vessels had risen by £20m.
However in a letter to Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, Mr Tydeman said that estimate did not include £10m of work in progress, or the impact of assessments by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which meant internal changes had to be made to the Glen Sannox.
He said: “As a result I significantly underestimated the total forecast cost to complete Glen Sannox, for which I apologise.
“The figures in June also did not include the MCA aspects.”
He said the yard is moving away from the technically difficult design and engineering stage towards completing the Glen Sannox and getting it ready for sea trials in the first quarter of 2024.
However, he warned there are “still risks of issues arising” with the Glen Sannox during trials.
He said: “Our ability to guarantee completion by 31 March 2024 will thus depend on how well the trials progress and we will make every effort to prove the ship and solve issues as they arise.”
He said the yard remains “very focused on getting the ship into service for next summer season” and is meeting all stakeholders on a weekly basis.
Mr Tydeman said reaching a point of design completion on Glen Sannox will have a positive impact on Glen Rosa.
However he warned that “if trials prove difficult on Glen Sannox and we slip beyond 31 March 2024 for that ship, there will be a cascade on to Glen Rosa”.
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Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson said the update from Mr Tydeman was “simply disgraceful”.
He said: “The SNP’s shambolic handling of building these two new lifeline ferries means taxpayers’ money is continuing to be wasted on an astonishing scale.
“Successive SNP transport ministers have betrayed islanders time and time again. It is simply disgraceful that it has been confirmed that they will now have to wait even longer for one of these vessels to be delivered, with the 802 ferry now set to be seven years late.
“Every update from Ferguson Marine involves more costs for the taxpayers or a further slip on the endless delays island communities have had to suffer.
“The consequences of the ferry fiasco have been devastating for residents and the local economy in the areas affected.
“These ferries must be delivered without any further delay and with costs to the public purse kept to an absolute minimum.
“Then Humza Yousaf must stop ducking responsibility and agree to a full independent inquiry into this shameful waste of money.”
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A Scottish government spokesperson said: “This latest update is obviously disappointing.
“The Scottish government’s priorities have always been and remain the completion of the two ferries, securing a future for the yard and its workforce and supporting our island communities that rely on this type of vessel on a daily basis.
“Ferguson Marine has been asked to do everything possible to minimise costs and ensure these ferries are able to enter service as soon as possible.”
