Glen Sannox Ferry Officially Joins CalMac Fleet After Long Delays
The Glen Sannox ferry has finally entered service with CalMac after years of delays and technical issues
Glen Sannox, CalMac, Port Glasgow, Troon, Brodick, Scotland
Troon: The Glen Sannox ferry, built at Ferguson Marine, set sail for Brodick early Monday morning. It’s been a long road to get here, with the ferry originally supposed to be delivered in 2018.
After a series of delays and technical hiccups, CalMac finally got the vessel ready for its first voyage. They managed to sort out some last-minute issues just in time.
Even though the ferry is now in service, it still needs a part of its anchor system replaced, which should arrive in February. So, there’s still a bit of work to do.
There’s also some uncertainty about its sister ship, the Glen Rosa, and whether it will face more delays before it’s handed over to the government.
Ferguson Marine is looking into what went wrong and is expected to give an estimated completion date soon. They’re aiming for a handover in September.
Despite the bumps along the way, the first voyages of Glen Sannox are a big deal for the ferry procurement process. The costs have skyrocketed, now expected to be over three times the original £97 million price tag.
During its test run, the Glen Sannox carried 154 foot passengers, 53 cars, and two commercial vehicles. CalMac’s CEO, Duncan Mackison, expressed excitement about having the ferry in service for Arran.
Both new ferries are currently using Troon as their mainland port instead of the usual Ardrossan terminal due to necessary upgrades that haven’t been completed yet.
There’s still some back-and-forth between the private owner of Ardrossan, Peel Ports, and local authorities about funding the upgrades needed for the larger vessels.
With other vessels in the CalMac fleet also undergoing repairs, there won’t be any sailings to or from Ardrossan until late March.
Before the first official sailing, Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie had some strong words, calling the Glen Sannox “Scotland’s most haunted ship” due to its long delays and budget overruns. He emphasized that islanders will need to see the ferry in action to believe it.