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MV Glen Rosa

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MV Glen Rosa fitting out at Newark Quay, August 2024
History
NameGlen Rosa
NamesakeGlen Rosa on the Isle of Arran
OwnerCaledonian Maritime Assets Limited
OperatorCaledonian MacBrayne
Port of registryGlasgow
RouteArdrossan - Brodick
Ordered16 October 2015
BuilderFerguson Marine, Port Glasgow, Scotland
Cost£97 million original contract for two ferries; £380 million as of June 2024, and £45 million loan written off.[1]
Yard number802
Laid down16 June 2016
Launched9 April 2024
Christenedby Beth Atkinson
CompletedMay 2025 (expected)
IdentificationIMO number: 9794525
StatusUnder construction
General characteristics
Tonnage1,273 DWT[2]
Length102.4 m (335 ft 11 in)[2]
Beam17 m (55 ft 9 in)[2]
Draught3.4 m (11 ft 2 in)[2]
Installed power2 × Wärtsilä 34DF diesels.[3]
Propulsion
Speed14.5 kn (26.85 km/h)[2]
Capacity
  • 1,000 passengers, 127 cars or 16 HGVs (planned)[4]
    • 852 passengers (actual)[5]
Glen Sannox on slipway, two sections of Hull 802 (Glen Rosa) to the right, as of June 2017
December 2021, Hull 802 on slipway with bulbous bow in place, hull section being added

MV Glen Rosa (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Ruasaidh) is a car and passenger ferry, the second of two major vessels constructed at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow for the Scottish Government asset company CMAL to lease to its ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne. Originally planned for Uig based services, it will serve Arran. Both ships are to be dual-fuel, capable of operating on either marine gas oil, or LNG which offers a marked reduction in sulphur, nitrous oxide and carbon emissions.[6][7] The ship's name was chosen from a shortlist by public ballot on 30 August 2023.[8]

Of the six shipyards biding for fixed price contracts to design and build the two ships, Ferguson Marine (FMEL), owned by Jim McColl, was the only Scottish bidder. During negotiations, the government named FMEL as preferred tenderer,[9] though it had just told CMAL that it could not provide the contractually required bank-backed guarantee. FMEL had already discussed this with Scottish Government ministers, who now decided the government would take on the risks, and the contracts were awarded on 16 October 2015.[10][11]

The ships were to be delivered by July 2018, but FMEL began construction before providing drawings and plans for approval, with increasing delays when work had to be redone. In July 2017, FMEL denied responsibly and claimed additional costs, CMAL dismissed the claims. The dispute escalated with further delays. FMEL went into administration,[10][11] and in December 2019 the shipyard was nationalised as Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd.,[12] but increasing costs and further lengthy delays became a continuing political scandal,[13][14][15] the "ferry fiasco".[16][17]

The sister ship, Glen Sannox, had been substantially incomplete when launched on 21 November 2017 and moved to the shipyard's Newark Quay, freeing the slipway for the two sections of Hull 802 (Glen Rosa) to be brought together.

History

[edit]

Glen Rosa will be the second of two Scottish ferries capable of operating on either marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG), aiming at benefits of a marked reduction in carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions.[18] The first steel for both ships was cut on 7 April 2016. The first ship, Glen Sannox, was launched on 21 November 2017 by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.[19]

First expected launch

[edit]

Glen Rosa was expected to be launched in 2018, and to enter service the following year.[20] However, along with her sister ship, she has been the subject of increased costs and lengthy delays to her construction. Following delays to both ships and nationalisation of the shipyard, the second ferry was estimated in December 2019 to be delivered to CMAL in summer 2022.[21] There were delays due to the pandemic and shortages of skilled labour, and in June 2021 delivery was rescheduled for April 2023 to July 2023.[22] At the start of September 2021, installation of the bulbous bow, as well as stern sections, was reported as marking significant progress.[23]

Additional delays

[edit]

Further delays in early 2022 saw the delivery date slip to October–December 2023.[24] The ship's delivery date was delayed again in September 2022 to the first quarter of 2024.[25] As of August 2023, the expected launch date was March 2024, with the vessel due to enter service by the end of 2024.[7][8] By the end of September 2023, however, Ferguson chief executive David Tydeman told the Scottish Government’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee that MV Glen Rosa had been further delayed and that its completion date had been pushed back from the end of 2024 to the end of May 2025.[17]

Naming

[edit]

A public poll was run in August 2023 to choose a name for the vessel, which had previously been referred to as "Hull 802", from a shortlist of Claymore, Glen Cloy and Glen Rosa.[7] Glen Rosa was announced as the name on 31 August 2023, having been selected by 52% out of a total vote of nearly 5,000 entries.[8]

Further delays

[edit]

On 10 November 2023, it was announced that the launch date for Glen Rosa had been set as 12 March 2024, but this was later pushed back to 9 April following additional delays to Glen Sannox,[26] which was fitted out at the shipyard's Newark Quay, and had begun sea trials on 13 February. It moved 1.3 miles (2.1 km) downriver to Inchgreen Quay, Greenock.

Ceremonial ship launch

[edit]
Public waiting to attend the launch

As the ceremonial ship launching neared, Ferguson Marine lacked new orders, and was under threat of closure. Clyde-built ships had dominated international trade a century earlier, now BAE Systems is the only other Clyde shipbuilder. Like many internationally, BAE no longer risk traditional dynamic slipway launches; they use a semi-submersible launch barge or heavy-lift vessel to launch the ships gently in deep water, others build ships in dry docks. This was to be the 363rd ship built at the site since Ferguson Brothers established the shipyard in 1903, and the heaviest. They had a week of the necessary high tide, which would not occur again until December.[27][28]

Responding to Inverclyde community interest, the public were invited to attend the launch, with access to the yard "on a first come, first served basis".[29][30] Crowds filled the allocated areas on 9 April 2024, while hundreds more watched from the adjacent Coronation Park (infilled from the original harbours), Newark Castle grounds and the park to its east (on the former site of Lamont's Castle Yard).[31][32]

Launch down slipway

Ferguson Marine interim CEO John Petticrew welcomed the launch as a significant milestone, Scottish Government cabinet secretary Màiri McAllan gave a short speech, local minister Rev. William Boyle blessed the vessel, then after a short delay due to gusting wind, the Glen Rosa was named and launched by Beth Atkinson, a qualified welder who had completed her apprenticeship at the yard the year prior. MSP Stuart McMillan played the bagpipes as the ship went. down the slipway.[33][34] Tugs then moved the vessel to the shipyard's Newark Quay, which had recently been vacated when Glen Sannox began its sea trials then was moved to the nearby Inchgreen Quay in Greenock.[31]

Service

[edit]

Glen Rosa was originally ordered to serve on the "Uig Triangle" routes, linking Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist with Uig on Skye. However in October 2022, CMAL ordered two new ferries for this route, named MV Claymore and MV Lochmor, leading to uncertainty about where Glen Rosa would be deployed.[35] In August 2023, CMAL confirmed that she would serve Arran, partnering Glen Sannox, with both dual-fuel vessels allocated to the Ardrossan to Brodick route.[7] The two new Arran ferries will initially operate between Troon and Brodick for the first two or three years of their careers, due to the planned upgrade works for Ardrossan harbour.[36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ferry delivery faces short delay but latest costs on track". BBC News. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Presentation to Arran Ferry Committee Meeting" (PPT). CMAL. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Propulsion Package for Dual-fuel Ferries Awarded to Wartsila". CMAL. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  4. ^ "First Minister Launches UK's First LNG Ferry". CMAL. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  5. ^ Williams, Martin (3 October 2023). "Scots fiasco ferries have to be cut in size for safety reasons". The Herald.
  6. ^ "Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan 2014 report (VRDP)". Transport Scotland. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "Competition Launched to Name Dual Fuel Ferry". Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Delayed CalMac ferry named Glen Rosa after public vote". BBC News. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited- announces Scottish shipbuilder as preferred tenderer for two large ferries contract". CMAL. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. ^ a b Watson, Calum (23 March 2022). "Ferguson ferries deal awarded without financial safeguards". BBC News. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b "New vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides, Arrangements to deliver vessels 801 and 802". Audit Scotland. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Ferguson Marine shipyard taken into public ownership". BBC News Online. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Costs double on delayed CalMac ferry contract". BBC News. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Ferguson Marine update". Scottish Government. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Completion of CalMac ferries delayed six months". BBC News. 25 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Ferguson shipyard bosses blamed for ferries fiasco". BBC News. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Further delay and up to £24m in 'understated' costs to late CalMac ferries". STV News. 29 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Dual-Fuel Ferry Presentation". CMAL. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  19. ^ "IN Pictures -- Launch Of Ferry Glen Sannox At Port Glasgow". Inverclyde Now. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Ferry MV Glen Sannox ready for launch at Port Glasgow yard". Greenock Telegraph. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  21. ^ Ferguson Marine: report on cost and programme for vessels 801 and 802, Scottish Government, 9 December 2019, retrieved 23 December 2019
  22. ^ "Shortage Of Workers And Covid Disruption Delay Ferguson Ferries By A Further 15 Weeks". Inverclyde Now. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Further 'Significant' Progress On Ferguson Ferries". Inverclyde Now (in Kinyarwanda). 1 September 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  24. ^ Dalton, Alastair (23 March 2022). "Ferguson Marine ferries for CalMac delayed by another eight months to 2023". The Scotsman.
  25. ^ "Scottish ferries contract hit by fresh delay". BBC News. 28 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Launch date set for delayed CalMac ferry MV Glen Rosa". BBC News. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  27. ^ Watson, Calum (5 April 2024). "Could Glen Rosa be the Clyde's last traditional ship launch?". BBC News. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  28. ^ Watson, Calum (26 November 2023). "The Ferguson shipyard ships that nobody talks about". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  29. ^ Hanvidge, Ross (5 April 2024). "Ferguson Marine invites Inverclyde community to yard for launch of Glen Rosa". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  30. ^ Admin, Jeremy (5 April 2024). "Public Invited To Port Glasgow Ferry Launch". Inverclyde Now. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  31. ^ a b Watson, Calum (9 April 2024). "New CalMac ferry successfully launches into River Clyde". BBC News. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  32. ^ Admin, Jeremy (9 April 2024). "IN Pictures: Ferry Launch At Port Glasgow". Inverclyde Now. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Glen Rosa: Cheers as CalMac ferry is launched at Clyde shipyard". BBC News. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  34. ^ "Port Glasgow community celebrates MV Glen Rosa launch". Greenock Telegraph. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  35. ^ "New ferries for the Clyde & Hebrides". Transport Scotland. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  36. ^ "Ardrossan Harbour redevelopment". North Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
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