Scotland’s long-awaited MV Glen Sannox ferry is set to embark on its first passenger journey Monday. Carrying up to 127 cars and 852 passengers, Glen Sannox’s introduction should help alleviate the strains experienced by the country’s operator after years of issues with its ageing, increasingly unreliable fleet. Caledonian MacBrayne, the state-owned operator, has issued a yellow alert since the scheduled trip may be delayed or cancelled due to high winds.
The vessel was ordered from Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow almost a decade ago, but disagreements and claims of extra charges related to design challenges saw the company plummet into administration and ultimately nationalised in 2019. The ships, the dual-fuel Glen Sannox and sister vessel Glen Rosa, have cost over four times the £97m contract price, sparking arguably one of the longest political rows during the devolution era.
Attempts to construct the Glen Sannox stumbled after the firm struggled with complex design challenges while trying to hit production milestones and upgrading the run-down facilities. The ship was launched by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon in November 2017, and behind the scenes what began to brew was a bigger political storm.
Named after an Arran beauty spot, Glen Sannox will make three return sailings from Troon to the island’s main town of Brodick each day. Scotland’s entire west coast ferry network should also benefit since the average age of the fleet will fall, and capacity permits vessels to be redeployed
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