Latest news with #CammellLaird
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Return of MV Caledonian Isles on Arran route delayed again over pressure issue
Ferry operator CalMac has said it is "impossible to say" how long a ferry serving Arran will remain out of action due to a pressure Caledonian Isles has been unable to carry passengers since January 2024 due to a series of faults that have cost nearly £11m to 32-year-old ship had been due to resume sailings from Ardrossan to Arran last week but sea trials revealed a problem with the ship's operator said the ship would return to dry dock in the next week to resolve a pressure issue with the vessel's propulsion system. CalMac said it was unable to confirm a return to service date until an inspection takes place, but sailings from Troon would still be available in the meantime with a two-vessel service of MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred. MV Caledonian Isles was initially taken out of service in January last year after routine annual maintenance revealed serious steel ship underwent months of major repair work in dry dock at Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, which required removal of the ship's the ship returned to Scotland in September, a gearbox and propeller fault were investigation at Dale's Marine in Greenock revealed the rear of the ship was had been due to return to the Arran route by the end of April, but this was repeatedly pushed back and the ship was expected to return to service last week. Ferry service update The state-owned operator's chief executive officer Duncan Mackison said: "Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly."He said the inspection of the vessel would take a few days and until then, it was "impossible" to determine how long repairs might Mackison added: "But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer. "To give communities and customers certainty, we're removing MV Caledonian Isles from deployment plans for now and will provide a detailed update on any service impact early next week."When it returns to service, MV Caledonian Isles will run from Ardrossan, the only ferry in the vicinity able to do so since the long-awaited MV Glen Sannox and its yet-to-be-delivered sister ship are too big to dock at the passengers heading to Arran have to board the replacement ferries at Scottish government is investigating potentially buying the port at Ardrossan to make the necessary changes to allow both newer vessels to berth there, but talks are reported to have stalled.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Ferguson Marine loses out again on new ferry contract in 'disappointing' blow
The Ferguson Marine shipyard on the River Clyde has lost out again on a contract to build new ferries. The nationalised firm, based in Port Glasgow , had submitted a bid to build two new small vessels for Western Ferries' Gourock to Dunoon route on the river, which was used by 1.2 million passengers last year. However, the BBC reported on Friday, April 25 that the ferry operator announced Cammell Laird, based at Birkenhead, Merseyside, was its preferred bidder to take on the contract. Two of Western Ferries' current fleet were built in the early 2000s when the Ferguson Marine yard was privately owned . The decision has left the firm still with no new orders, after it was snubbed in favour of a Polish yard for a contract to build seven new ferries in March, which was described as a "huge blow" . David Dishon, chief financial officer at Ferguson Marine , said of the latest decision: "Having submitted a high-quality bid, this news is disappointing. "However, Ferguson Marine remains focused on securing new work from a range of sources to build its pipeline." Mr Dishon said private investment for new vessels was "vitally important" to the economy and congratulated Cammell Laird on their winning bid. He added: "We wish both companies every success and hope to continue our long-standing working relationship with Western Ferries in the future." Ferguson Marine, which employs around 300 workers in an area of high deprivation, was nationalised in 2019 after struggling to deliver two new car ferries, MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa , the latter of which has still not been completed. MV Glen Sannox received praise from passengers after it was launched on the Arran route in January. However, it was pulled from service just two months later after a hairline crack in its hull led to a leak. It was quickly repaired and the ferry returned to service two days later.
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ferguson shipyard misses out on Clyde small ferries contract
A contract to build two new small ferries for the River Clyde has gone to a shipyard in MerseysidePrivately-owned Western Ferries announced that Cammell Laird, based at Birkenhead, was preferred bidder to build the vessels for its Gourock to Dunoon announcement is a disappointment for the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard which had hoped to win the Port Glasgow based firm has no new orders beyond the CalMac ferry Glen Rosa, but is pursuing contracting work on the Type 26 frigates currently being built by BAE Systems in Glasgow. Western Ferries currently operates four small ferries, two of them built by Ferguson's in 2001 and 2003 when the yard was privately owned by the Dunnet other two ferries, Sound of Seil and Sound of Soay, were previously built by Cammell Laird in Ferries last year carried 1.2 million passengers and 600,000 cars on the Gourock to Dunoon route and employs about 60 people. Ferguson's employs about 300 workers and apprentices in an area of high deprivation and has built six out of the 10 largest ships currently in CalMac's the firm has struggled with construction of MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, the first dual-fuel ferries built in the UK capable of running on liquefied natural challenges, disputes over rising costs and an acrimonious stand-off with the customer CMAL saw the firm return to administration in 2019 when it was nationalised, with problems continuing under public Glen Sannox - which started carrying passengers in January - has been praised by ferry users on the Arran the ship was unexpectedly taken out of service in March after a hairline crack in a weld on its hull led to a small fault was quickly repaired and the ship resumed sailings two days second ship MV Glen Rosa is in the final stages of construction and is due for delivery in the autumn.
