Ferguson's Second Ferry Departs on Builder's Sea Trials

Scottish shipbuilder Ferguson Marine is hoping to bring the construction of the ferry Glen Rosa to an end early next year. This follows the commencement of builder’s sea trials for the ferry, which will now be delivered in February.

Ferguson Marine announced that Glen Rosa, one of two LNG dual-fuel ferries whose construction has been characterized by unprecedented delays and cost overruns, has set sail from the Inchgreen quayside for sea trials on the Firth of Clyde. While Ferguson is billing the builder’s sea trials as another significant milestone in the vessel’s journey toward completion and entry into service, the trial is coming a month late.

In late October, in an update to the Scottish Parliament, the company had indicated that sea trials were to be pushed to this month after a number of “minor system issues” were identified.

The company has warned that the costs of building the vessel will rise further because of changes to the scope of work. In the changes recommended by the Glen Rosa Coordination Group, Ferguson has been tasked to install the vessel’s new redesigned propeller blades before Glen Rosa is handed over to its operator, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CalMac). In the initial plans, the blades had been scheduled to be installed afterwards. The new blades have become necessary after a vibration issue was detected in its sister vessel, the MV Glen Sannox that entered service in January last year, also after enduring long delays and cost overruns.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →