THE head of Ferguson Marine hailed the shipyard's workforce as 'heroes' as he gave the Telegraph an exclusive tour of the two controversial CalMac ferries at the centre of a storm over delays and huge cost overruns.
CEO David Tydeman - who was drafted in last year to get the project onto an even keel - declared that people will be 'surprised' by the quality and spec of the ships when they finally enter service.
The long-running saga has been ridiculed and slammed in equal measure but as it approaches its end point, the Port Glasgow yard is looking ahead to life after the contract is completed.
But during a comprehensive behind-the-scenes tour of Glen Sannox and Hull 802, Mr Tydeman expressed his frustration at the mistakes made at the outset - notwithstanding the significant progress made since he took the helm.
Glen Sannox, the first of the dual-fuelled passenger carriers, infamously launched as a shell with painted-on windows and unfinished funnels.
Mr Tydeman told the Tele that lessons were quickly learned from the 'persistent errors' that have plagued its build to ensure a far smoother operation with Hull 802.
He said: "Everybody knows that we're late and over budget.
"A lot of that money is time-related, some of it is inflation-related, and a lot of it is design errors and build sequencing in two phases.
"Why put a ship in the water when you haven't finished building it?"
He added: "We made the decision that we wouldn't put anything inside this [Hull 802] until we'd structurally completed it, which we've nearly finished.
"We hope for Glen Sannox to go down river on trial during October/November, and then into dry dock on December 18, to clear the quayside and we're aiming to launch 802 at the end of November.
"The project management approach we've taken to Glen Sannox is to treat it almost like a conversion of an existing ship where you're exploring, designing and then fitting.
"Whereas, for Hull 802, we will have learned everything and we'll do it once."
The challenges faced by those working on the two ferries have been well documented and the Ferguson's boss said his team is still finding faults as they go - including having to cut out a new staircase on Glen Sannox's passenger decks to comply with safety standards.
The dual-fuel model of diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines was declared state-of-the-art when the contract was announced - however, years later, Mr Tydeman said further engineering advancements over the coming decades will overtake it.
Reflecting on the hurdles the yard has had to overcome, will these vessels still be something to be proud of for those who worked on them and those who will rely on them?
"I think people are going to be surprised," said Mr Tydeman.
"When you walk around and start to see the quality of the finishes, like the observation lounge, a nice galley, you've got good food, it's easy to drive the car on, get in the lift and get up and down, I think these are going to be ships that people will enjoy being on.
"The overriding feeling when we hand them over will be a mixture - pride, I hope, if they are working well.
READ MORE: Ferguson chief hopes to put ferries fiasco in past and secure bright future for yard
"Of course, it will be a relief.
"We've got an obligation to support the ships for a year as a warranty service, inevitably there will be things that need changing, upgrading; these are sophisticated, complicated ships.
"I will finally relax 12 months after handover."
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