Cut the 'waffle': Ferguson Marine bosses admit Glen Rosa ferry 'at risk' of further delays

The admission came during an excruciating exchange between Ferguson Marine’s interim chief executive John Petticrew and the yard’s chairman Andrew Miller with MSPs on Holyrood’s public audit committee in which the ferry bosses were told to cut the “waffle”.

It has been revealed 16 major parts were taken from the long-delayed vessel to complete its sister ship, the Glen Sannox, including a starter motor and various pumps.

The yard chiefs admitted the Glen Rosa was “at risk” of being further delayed, but were unable to clarify whether they knew how long the vessel would be held up for.

READ MORE: Starter motor among major parts stripped from Glen Rosa ferry as new uncertainty emerges over completion

The Glen Rosa ferry should have been finished almost seven years ago and is expected to cost some four times its contract price at around £200 million.

The vessel is due to join the Glen Sannox, which was put into operation last month on CalMac’s main Arran route to Brodick - the busiest on the operator’s network.

Conservative MSP Graham Simpson brought up the fears of further delay, first exclusively reported by The Scotsman, and asked if the Ferguson Marine bosses could “shed any light” on the concerns.

Mr Petticrew said the yard was “in the process of doing a bottoms up on the Glen Rosa” and that after a schedule was drawn up, there was an intention “to then look at it cost-wise” before presenting the situation to the board by the end of the month.

Mr Simpson said: “Does that mean there’s been a further delay and increase in cost?” In response, Mr Petticrew said: “I haven’t been given the date yet. I can’t comment on it just now.”

Losing his patience, Mr Simpson stressed it was “a simple question” as to “has it been delayed further?”.

Mr Miller replied: “In the past, it’s [the delivery] been characterised of timetables and money put into the public domain through these committees without due process in terms of understanding the numbers.”

READ MORE: CalMac's three hybrid ferries cost nearly £1.5m to maintain

But Mr Simpson accused Mr Miller of “waffle”.

The yard’s chairman told MSPs “we don’ have the information to tell the committee at this moment in time”. Mr Miller added: “We are doing due diligence on the numbers under the auspices of the board and it will take another two or three weeks.

He added: “We have the data, but we’re verifying the data.”

Mr Petticrew admitted “there is a risk” of further delay to the vessel. He said: “What we are trying to do is mitigate that risk and ensure that if we come to the board and come to the sponsoring party with a date that we don't change it as we have in the past.”

Mr Petticrew stressed the yard wanted to draw up “a proper plan”. Asked if the delay was likely to be “weeks or months”, Mr Petticrew told the committee: “I really don’t know.”

He added: “There’s different scenarios. You are sometimes given two or three options and then you interrogate those two or three options.

“The first option would obviously be the one closer to the date that we have got at present, which would be September. And that’s what we are trying to push for.”