Overdue ferry Glen Sannox enters new construction phase

The Glen Sannox had originally been due to enter service in 2018

One of the Scottish ferries at the centre of a political row has set sail to a dry dock to receive finishing touches to its internal systems.

The MV Glen Sannox is one of two vessels which have been under construction at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde.

The ferries were expected to have been completed by 2018.

But their construction was hit by a series of delays, with costs more than doubling from the original £97m budget.

An Audit Scotland investigation in March this year found there were inadequate financial safeguards in place to protect public money.

The nationalised shipyard has struggled with construction problems, mostly recently when it emerged that hundreds of electrical cables had been wrongly installed in the Glen Sannox.

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Earlier this week, the first Glen Sannox engine was switched on - the first piece of major equipment to be run on the vessel.

Ferguson Marine said "all tests and systems performed as expected".

The first Glen Sannox engine was switched on this week

The Glen Sannox will spend three weeks at the Dales Marine site at nearby Greenock to receive work on its propulsion systems, seals and bow doors.

The ferry will also receive a fresh coat of paint to its hull, before returning from dry dock in early August.

It is scheduled to be delivered for service between March and May 2023.

The second vessel, currently known as hull 802, is set to enter service between October and December next year.

'Important milestone'

Ferguson Marine chief executive David Tydeman said: "The work being undertaken in collaboration with Dales is another important milestone in the delivery of MV Glen Sannox.

"The sub-waterline and aesthetic works being undertaken show that the ferry is coming along well, and we look forward to welcoming her back to Port Glasgow in August for a continuation of the commissioning programme.

"Our next major milestone is the testing of main engines and generators before October, which will bring the ship to life."