A Holyrood committee convener has expressed his dismay at the problems with the delayed and overbudget Ferguson Marine ferries, telling the shipyard’s bosses that islanders will be 'peeved.'
Conservative MSP Edward Mountain also condemned “smoke and mirrors” over design changes in the Glen Sannox and its sister ship the Glen Rosa, which will mean they will carry fewer passengers than originally envisaged.
It emerged this week that costs for the Glen Sannox will rise to between £145.5 million and £149.1 million, while the Glen Rosa will be delivered “no later than” September 2025.
Under the latest estimates, the work to build the two ferries will be around triple the first price of £97 million and they will be handed over to CalMac six years late.
David Tydeman, chief executive of state-owned Ferguson Marine, and other officials appeared before Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on Tuesday.
Mr Mountain said that since CalMac’s crew will require time to familiarise themselves with the vessel, it is likely the Glen Sannox will begin carrying passengers on the Arran route in August at the earliest – meaning it will miss most of the busy summer period.
He raised the issue of changes in the vessels’ designs in order to meet regulatory requirements, saying: “I think there was a certain amount of smoke and mirrors in that and I think that was extremely disappointing.”
He quizzed Mr Tydeman about the exact capacity of the Glen Sannox for cars, HGVs and passengers.
The shipyard boss said the ferry will ultimately operate with up to 852 passengers.
Mr Mountain went on to say: “We’re in a situation now where we’ve got ourselves, it’s taken considerably longer, considerably more money. And we have less passengers, potentially less cars and potentially less HGVs.
“If I was an islander I would be pretty angst by that.”
- Contents of video: -
00:00 - Could cost another £7m
00:52 - CalMac want 1-2 months to test ferry
01:22 - Original amount of passengers, cars & HGVs
03:10 - Yard boss 'up to 1,000 passengers'
04:07 - That was the original spec
04:27 - David Tydeman not sure on numbers
04:52 - less passengers, less vehicles
05:36 - Yard boss agrees islanders will be 'angst'
06:08 - You might have changed the whole spec
06:57 - How vehicles are put onto the ferry
07:40 - Convernor says islanders may be 'peeved'
END
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