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Long-delayed CalMac ferry Glen Rosa begins sea trials

PA The Glen Rosa in dock. It is a large black and white ship with red funnels. There is a man on the dock in an orange hi-vis jacket and a white hard hat.PA
The Glen Rosa, pictured in dock during fog on Wednesday, is expected to be handed over in February

The second of two long-delayed ferries built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard has set off for its builder's sea trials.

The 335ft (102m) long Glen Rosa set sail from Inchgreen docks in Port Glasgow earlier.

It will undergo tests in the Firth of Clyde, with specialists measuring its handling and propulsion systems.

Glen Rosa's sister vessel, the Glen Sannox, entered service with CalMac in January 2025 after years of delays.

The current timetable is for Glen Rosa to be handed over in February 2027, after the expected date was put back from the end of this year.

Ferguson Marine, which is owned by the Scottish government, said new propeller blades would be installed and the ship's LNG fuel system completed before it was handed over.

A large metal propeller on the underside of a red painted ship which is sitting on a slipway.
The propellers on Glen Rosa, seen here just before its launch in 2024, will be replaced with a redesigned version

The sea trials will check the ferry's propulsion, power generation, safety, automation and navigation systems, under real sailing conditions.

Andrew Milligan, executive director of technical at Ferguson Marine, said: "Commencing sea trials is a pivotal moment for Glen Rosa and reflects the tremendous hard work and technical skill across our Port Glasgow shipyard.

"These trials allow us to put the ship's integrated systems through their paces at sea, validating months of dockside testing and outfitting."

He added: "Our team remains completely focused on producing quality work and rigorous testing, ensuring we deliver a reliable, robust vessel that will serve island communities for generations to come."

Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of CMAL, which owns the ferries, said: "Builder's sea trials are an important milestone, and we welcome the progress as we near the handover of MV Glen Rosa."

Builder's sea trials are the first in a series of at-sea testing voyages of a ship, which are followed by owner's acceptance trials and a final regulator approval process.

Once delivered, CalMac will also want to conduct its own crew familiarisation and berthing trials before the ship begins carrying passengers.

The two ships were initially expected to cost £97m when they were ordered from the Port Glasgow firm in 2015 but the repeated delays and technical problems have resulted in a succession of large cost increases.

An extra £150m has been required to finish Glen Sannox, and the latest estimate for completion of Glen Rosa is £197.5m.

These figures are over and above the £83m paid out prior to nationalisation and do not include £45m of written-down government loans to the shipyard.

Ministers have said the loans were were not directly related to the troubled ferries but that is disputed by the yard's former owner.