THE major repairs being carried out on the MV Glen Sannox ferry at a Greenock drydock are set to cost £400,000.

The Tele revealed earlier this year that the vessel would be be going from publicly-owned Ferguson's in the Port down to the Dales Marine yard for remedial work, including the replacement of her bulbous bow.

The move took place on Monday, almost three years after the launch of the ship, and now the cost of the repairs has been revealed.

Paint repair, removal of marine growth from the vessel hull and other work will also be carried out.

The repairs and rework were identified during a review of the condition of two dual-fuel vessels as they languished at Ferguson's amid a massive row between CMAL, the state-owned ferry firm which procured them, and the yard.

The review was conducted after the shipyard plunged into administration last August 2019 amid the dispute.

It was subsequently nationalised by the Scottish Government.

According to the details of the contract signed with Dales, the facilities are needed to perform 'essential below waterline work' described as 'critical' to the MV Glen Sannox build.

Dales Marine was highlighted as the only local dry docking facility that can offer a full service provision and the work was not put out to tender.

Tim Hair, turnaround director at Ferguson Marine, said: “This is a key milestone in the recovery programme for the dual fuel vessels.

"Some work has been carried out on MV Glen Sannox at the shipyard, but the dry dock period is important because it will bring the vessel up to a condition that will allow us to move forward in earnest with the vessel completion plan."

It was revealed back in April that the now state-owned Ferguson Marine had ploughed almost £3m into two other companies, without going to competitive tender, to help resolve the ferries fiasco.

A £2.1m contract was clinched by Isle of Man-based International Contract Engineering Ltd to supply engineering servies for the stalled construction of MV Glen Sannox to 'correct and complete' the design.

It also emerged that £777,500 was given to Kirkintilloch-based Alliance Project Controls Ltd to supervise the construction work.

The cost of delivering the ferries has soared from £97m to around £200m.

But the former management of Ferguson's say they believe the final figure could come in at over £300m.