Ferries fiasco: Glen Rosa cost increases yet again to four times original price
Ferguson Marine shipyard “confident in the updated timeline and cost forecast”
The cost of the second of two hugely late CalMac ferries being built by Ferguson Marine has increased again, the yard admitted on Friday.
Glen Rosa could now set taxpayers back by nearly £200 million - some four times its original price.
Shipyard chief executive Graeme Thomson told MSPs that the total, into contingency, had increased by a further £12.5m to £197.5m.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes described it as “very disappointing”.
The 850-passenger passenger vessel for the main Arran route was ordered in 2015 and should have been finished nearly eight years ago but will not now be completed until the last three months of 2026.
That latest delay, announced last month, added another six months to the completion schedule.
The Scottish Government-owned yard had announced last May that its completion would be delayed from September 2025 to between April and June 2026 and the estimated cost had increased from £150m to £185m.
In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s net zero, energy and transport committee, Mr Thomson wrote: “As part of our commitment to providing transparency on the progress of Glen Rosa, we have undertaken a comprehensive review of all associated costs aligned with the updated delivery date, which is scheduled for Q4 2026.
“The estimated cost to finish building Glen Rosa has increased by £7m, bringing the total to £192m.
“To account for potential risks, we have allocated an additional £5.5m contingency, resulting in a total set forecast cost to complete of £197.5m.
“Although this position is regrettable, we are confident in the updated timeline and cost forecast.”
Ms Forbes said: “While I understand the final stages of building and testing a complex vessel are highly technical - and some risks only become clear at this point in the process - the further delay and increased costs are still very disappointing, particularly for island communities which rely on ferry services.
“The Scottish Government is carefully assessing the information provided to understand the full implications of the revised timetable and costs.
“We will continue to hold Ferguson Marine to account for delivery, cost control and full transparency as the project moves towards completion.”
Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: “Hard-pressed taxpayers are once again being forced to pay the price for the SNP’s never-ending ferries fiasco.
“Islanders have been let down at every turn by this shameful SNP government, but not one nationalist minister has been held accountable.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene said: "If I went in a pub where a pint was a fiver and it ended up costing me £25 I'd walk out, but the SNP are knee deep in manure over this issue because they will have to keep chucking public money at this project until it’s finished.”
Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Daniel Johnson said: “This is yet another hit in the pocket for taxpayers who have already forked out far more on these ferries than should have been required.
“Skilled and dedicated workers at Ferguson Marine have been failed time and time again by SNP chaos and incompetence.“
The GMB, the main union at the yard, said: “Grave but avoidable errors made at the very start of the contracts had sabotaged any hope of the ferries being built on time or within budget”.
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