New £12m ferry Catriona 'thinks twice' before launching

A new £12m hybrid ferry had a quick helping hand from workers to gently ease it off the slipway during its official launch in Port Glasgow.

"Catriona", a roll-on roll-off hybrid ferry, is the third ship to be built and launched on the Clyde in five years.

After the launch bottle smashed, onlookers had a few nervous moments to wait while workers removed the last holds to free the ship from the slipway at the new Ferguson Marine yard.

A yard spokesman said: "This is one of the downsides of launching in near freezing temperatures.

"The grease we use in the slip is water based, to avoid polluting the local water when the vessel launches, and low temperatures reduce its efficiency.

"You have also have over 300 tons of vessel sitting in one position for a year and a half so in these conditions it often needs a bit of persuasion.

"It took only 90 seconds for our shipwrights to have her on her way."