Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

News Event

Sunday, January 12, 2025 @ 1830 		GLEN SANNOX (2024- Ro-ro ferry 102.4m 336 feet overall of Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland) Own Page

Caledonian MacBrayne's new ferry GLEN SANNOX prepares to start her passenger service ... Part 3 of 5
Ship's locationFerry Terminal, Port of Troon (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)Port of RegistryGlasgow (Scotland, UK)

profiles of CalMac large ships showing ages. MV Isle of Arran, 41, MV Isle of Mull, 37, MV Lord of the Isles, 36, MV Caledonian Isles, 32, MV Isle of Lewis, 30, MV Clansman, 27, MV Hebrides, 24, MV Finlaggan, 14, MV Loch Seaforth, 11, MV Glen Sannox, 1

Scotland's entire west coast ferry network should also benefit as the average age of the fleet falls and new capacity allows vessels to be redeployed.

 

 

Scotland's ferries saga

 

For SNP politicians there will be hope the arrival of Glen Sannox heralds the end of Scotland's long-running ferries controversy, although reports of new delays for Glen Rosa mean that may be premature.

The contract to build the two ships was awarded to Ferguson's in 2015, a year after it went bust.

It was rescued by an investment firm led by Jim McColl, an economic adviser to the then First Minister Alex Salmond.

While a decade of decline had left the Clyde's last commercial shipyard with just 76 staff when it went into administration, the businessman delivered millions of pounds of investment and rapid expansion.

But construction of the dual-fuel ships soon faltered as the firm grappled with complex design challenges while trying to hit production milestones and modernising run-down facilities.

Claims for extra costs led to a bitter standoff between the yard's management and state-owned ferries procurement body Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL).