'Sigh of relief' as delayed Scottish ferry completes first return journey

Summary

The long-delayed Glen Sannox ferry has completed its first official return journey between Troon and Brodick on the island of Arran
The ship's design and construction at the state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard were mired in controversy
Glen Sannox was finally delivered to ferry operator CalMac in November 2024, nearly seven years late
Along with its sister ship Glen Rosa, the total of cost of more than £400m is more than four times the original contract price
CalMac CEO Duncan Mackison says there was a "big sigh of relief" at the completion of its first journey

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MV Glen Sannox sets sail from Troon to Arran

Live Reporting

Edited by Paul McLaren, with Calum Watson on board the MV Glen Sannox

There's delight at the launch, but it's not all plain sailingpublished at 07:10 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
James Cook
Scotland editor, on board the Glen Sannox
Well, better late than never.
More than seven years after what was effectively a sham launch with plywood funnels and painted-on windows, the Glen Sannox has finally set sail for real.
The vessel left the port of Troon bound for Brodick just before 07:00 in a fresh southerly breeze and is now pitching up and down on the swell in the Firth of Clyde.
Many people in Arran are delighted that the vessel is in service at last, after years of disruption.
But elsewhere on the west coast, concern, anger and frustration remain.
CalMac's 10 major vessels have an average age of around a quarter of a century.
Breakdowns are common and many islanders say delays and cancellations — not for weather, which they say they accept, but because of political failures by the Scottish government and its agencies — are damaging many aspects of island life, from schooling and healthcare to trade and tourism.
The story so far... seven years late and millions over budgetpublished at 07:03 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Without agreement on extra cost claims, the shipyard went bust again in 2019 and was nationalised - but difficulties building the ships continued with costs spiralling upwards.
Meanwhile, government-owned ferries operator CalMac has struggled to maintain lifeline services with an ageing fleet that are increasingly prone to breakdown.
Glen Sannox was finally delivered to CalMac in November, nearly seven years late and the cost of the two ships has risen above £400m, more than four times the original contract price.
Glen Sannox - the story so far...published at 07:01 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Image source, PA Media
Image caption,
Scotland's then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the Ferguson shipyard on the day it was announced as preferred bidder for the ferries contracts
With the first official sailing of the Glen Sannox under way, it's a good time to recap on the controversial story of this ship and how we got to this point.
The contracts for Glen Sannox and a second vessel were awarded in 2015 to Ferguson's shipyard in Port Glasgow, just a year after the last commercial yard on the Clyde was rescued by businessman Jim McColl.
It was hoped the order for the two dual-fuel ships - capable of running on diesel and gas - heralded a revival for Clyde shipbuilding which once dominated the world.
But things soon turned sour as the build ran into trouble, with the yard's management and government-owned ferries agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) blaming each other for the problems.
Smoothly awaypublished at 06:57 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
BBC Scotland News
With a dull rumble from the engines and a car alarm sounding, the ship slowly and smoothly pulled away from the berth at Troon.
And we're offpublished at 06:51 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson on board Glen Sannox
And here we go... the first passenger sailing of the Glen Sannox is under way.
The crew are preparing for departurepublished at 06:49 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
on board the Glen Sannox
Image caption,
The crew are preparing for the departure
The passengers are all aboard and the crew of the Glen Sannox are now preparing for the first official sailing.
A look on board Glen Sannoxpublished at 06:47 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Passengers are getting their first look on board the Glen Sannox.
It's all very swish and sparkling as you'd expect on its maiden trip.
A klaxon sounds as the ramp is raisedpublished at 06:45 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Image source, bbc
The first excited passengers are on boardpublished at 06:42 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
on board the Glen Sannox
The first departure is running a little late but the sailing is on despite the weather and the first paying customers and vehicles are loading.
Image caption,
The first cars board the Glen Sannox
First foot passengers now boardingpublished at 06:28 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
BBC Scotland News
Image caption,
Journalists are boarding the Glen Sannox
The first foot passengers (well, actually, it's the media crowd) are now boarding the Glen Sannox.
Will the Glen Sannox leave on time?published at 06:18 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
BBC Scotland News
The CalMac website says 21 of 30 routes are subject to warnings of delays or cancellations.
The catamaran Alfred, now based in Arran won’t be sailing this morning but so far it looks like Glen Sannox will sail as planned.
The difficult part of the crossing is berthing, particularly when it returns to Troon but it’s a highly manoeuvrable ship.
It has three bow thrusters and unusual a stern thruster, providing sideways propulsion it’s one of the best able Calmac ships to handle rough weather
Some lucky passengers got on a day earlypublished at 06:13 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Some passengers unexpectedly found themselves the first customers on the new ship on Sunday afternoon when it carried out a test run, taking over a scheduled return journey from the catamaran Alfred.
Kelly Henbery was one of the first foot passengers off the ship when it berthed back at Troon.
"We've been waiting so long for this boat that to actually be on it was completely surreal," she told BBC News at the terminal building.
"It's very spacious, very clean and tidy. I don't travel very well but it seemed to cope well with the weather. It was great."
Test run complete... snagging issues fixedpublished at 06:10 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Some last-minute problems were fixed before the ship comes into service.
A faulty valve for one of the two hoistable mezzanine decks - which provide extra car capacity - was replaced after it was damaged by contaminated oil.
Passengers will also be relieved to learn that an issue with the vacuum flushing system for the toilets is also sorted.
Image caption,
Glen Sannox, in the Firth of Clyde on Sunday, as it carried its first passengers on a test-run sailing
And there was enough time spare to carry out a full dress rehearsal on Sunday afternoon ahead of the ship beginning a scheduled timetable.
About 35 passengers expecting to travel to Arran on board the catamaran Alfred were delighted to be switched to the new ship.
And 150 passengers then joined Glen Sannox for the return trip to the mainland. It was the last sailing off the island because the scheduled catamaran service was cancelled due to bad weather.
All set to gopublished at 06:07 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
on board Glen Sannox
It’s a blustery morning in Troon. CalMac services are on yellow alert for possible disruption but the assistant port manager says he’s currently expecting Glen Sannox to leave on time.
Good morning and welcomepublished at 06:02 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
It's been long time coming - but this morning marks a big day for Scotland's islanders.
All being well, MV Glen Sannox is about to become the first new large ship to join Scotland's under-strain west coast ferry fleet in a decade.
The first scheduled passenger sailing is due to depart Troon in South Ayrshire at 06:30.
We'll be on board the ship as it makes its way to Brodick on the Isle of Arran, bringing you live updates as well as analysis on a story so long and complicated it's been dubbed Scotland's ferries saga.