DEPUTY First Minister Kate Forbes has been pressed on the Scottish Government’s oversight of Ferguson Marine and the repeated delays to the handover of the Glen Sannox.
Conservative MSP Jamie Greene queried the governance arrangements in place with the yard and cited concerns about quality control during 'portfolio questions' at Holyrood.
His comments followed the news earlier this month that the handover date for the first of the two six-years-late CalMac ferries that the yard is working on had been pushed back to mid-October.
Delays to tests on the Glen Sannox’s novel liquefied natural gas (LNG) system meant the yard had to push the delivery date beyond its previous target of September 30.
READ MORE: Ferguson Marine among 13 yards bidding for CalMac contract
In response to Mr Greene’s question, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “The strategic commercial assets division is responsible for governance arrangements around the delivery of Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa.
“That includes weekly meetings with the management team at Ferguson Marine and recently introduced daily reports from the technical advisors that enable us to closely monitor progress with the handover of Glen Sannox.
“The implementation of quality control measures is an operational matter for Ferguson Marine, in line with the framework agreement which was refreshed this year to take account of the need for operational independence.”
Ms Forbes went on to state that the handover date for Glen Sannox was still set for the middle of next month, and the delivery date for her sister ship Glen Rosa is September 30, 2025.
Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan then asked Ms Forbes for an update on the next phase of the modernisation of the yard to ensure it has ‘sustainable and competitive future’.
In response she said: “That is our aim and ambition: a sustainable and competitive future for the yard, and we are fully committed to delivering that beyond the completion of Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa.
“When I visited the yard in July I signalled the government’s willingness to back the board’s investment plan provided it delivers value for money and meets commercial standards.
“As work on the CalMac ferries continues our priority is helping Ferguson Marine secure and win commercial contracts positioning it to thrive in a competitive market learning from successful international models and strengthening the yard’s competitiveness through investment.”
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