GLEN SANNOX

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Scheduled sailings due to start in January

The 'Glen Sannox' will begin timetabled sailings on Jan 13, 2024, CalMac has announced. A soft launch of the ship is expected in the week of Jan 6, with occasional sailing once or twice a day, before the full passenger timetable launches the following week. The vessel will enter official passenger service on the Arran route after successful tests and crew familiarisation over the past month, and run on the busiest route on the CalMac network, operating between Troon to Brodick. It had been scheduled for delivery in 2018 but endured considerable delays due to major challenges in design and construction, in what became a long-running political row. Costs on the ferry increased from an initial contract price of £97m to more than £400m, £45m of which were government loans never fully recovered.

Ferry has problem with anchor system

The 'Glen Sannox' still needs a permanent solution to a problem with its anchor system, with managers at the Ferguson Marine shipyard saying that it was very disappointing that the issue was not spotted earlier. The most recent delay in the delivery of the vessel was due to a problem with part of the ship’s anchor system called the gypsy, which is used to hoist the anchor chain. The ferry will receive a long-term fix to its anchor system in the coming weeks. The initial round of sea trials in February had not identified the issue. A safe solution which had been signed off by the ship classification society was in place.

Ferry finally handed over by Ferguson Shipyard

The 'Glen Sannox' has been handed over by the Ferguson shipyard to the Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. on the night of Nov 20, exactly seven years after it was launched by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, being the first new large vessel for the west coast ferry fleet in nearly a decade. The ferry operator CalMac will now conduct several weeks of crew familiarisation trials before the ship carries its first passengers in Jan 2025. The 'Glen Sannox' was originally due for delivery in 2018 but has faced major challenges in design and construction, sparking the longest-running political controversy of the devolution era. Costs have risen from an initial contract price of £97m to more than £400m, including £45m of government loans that were never fully recovered. Report with photos: https://www.inverclydenow.com/port-yard-hand-over-glen-sannox-at-last/