The Scottish ferry, the Glen Sannox, has completed its first passenger journey, 2,610 days after it was infamously launched with fake parts and painted on windows by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Unlike the staged fanfare of that 2017 event, no children were bussed in to wave Saltire flags at Troon harbour this morning, nor speeches given by any government official. This was a quiet affair, in line with current First Minister John Swinney’s strategy of distancing himself from the failings of the Sturgeon era.
In 2017, Nicola Sturgeon said the new boat would contribute to ‘Scotland’s world-leading climate change goals’. It seems it might instead negatively impact those climate ambitions
Islanders will no doubt be pleased the ship is finally up and running, but controversy surrounding the Glen Sannox, its sister vessel the Glen Rosa, and the publicly-owned Ferguson shipyard in Glasgow, looks set to continue. Last month it emerged that the carbon footprint of the Glen Sannox, touted as a ‘green’ ferry, will be far larger than the decades-old diesel ship that has served the route between the mainland and the Isle of Arran.
The Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa are designed as dual-fuel vessels capable of running on both marine gas oil (MGO), a form of diesel, and liquified natural gas (LNG). However, the LNG has to be imported from Qatar and transported to Scotland via road from a terminal in Kent. Also, the engines release methane when running on LNG, which is even worse for the environment than carbon dioxide.
Emissions analysis by CalMac, Scotland’s state-owned ferry operator, has calculated that the Glen Sannox will emit 10,391 equivalent tonnes of CO2 a year compared with 7,732 for the old diesel-powered Caledonian Isles ferry. The original business case for the Glen Sannox, which was drawn up in 2014, predicted it would be better for the environment to the tune of 400 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Speaking at the 2017 launch event, Nicola Sturgeon said the new boat would contribute to ‘Scotland’s world-leading climate change goals’. It seems it might instead negatively impact those climate ambitions.
Meanwhile, the Glen Rosa is currently due for completion by September of this year, but there is speculation at Holyrood that yet another delay will be announced in coming weeks. The boat was originally contracted to enter service in 2019.
And then there is the future of the builder of the boats, the nationalised Ferguson yard. The Port Glasgow yard has been at the centre of controversy since it was given the contract to build the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. There have been allegations that the awarding of the contract was rigged to ensure it went to Fergusons. Scottish taxpayers have forked out hundreds of millions of pounds to keep the yard afloat while the vessels are completed.
The challenge for the Scottish government now is what to do with the yard, but to date there has been no credible plan to turn it into a sustainably commercial business. Last month Audit Scotland warned there is ‘material risk and uncertainty over FMPG’s [Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow] ability to continue as a going concern’.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: ‘The future of the Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow shipyard remains uncertain. Currently the yard hasn’t secured any future work or income, beyond the delivery of the Glen Rosa.’
The Audit Scotland report notes: ‘While the Scottish Government has reaffirmed its commitment to support a sustainable future for FMPG, there remains risk and uncertainty surrounding remaining costs for the completion of MV Glen Rosa, the ability of FMPG to generate future revenue streams and the ongoing investment required.’
In July the Scottish government said it would provide capital funding of up to £14.2 million over two years to support delivery of a new business plan for the yard. This assumed the direct award of a lucrative contract for the Scottish government’s small vessel replacement programme. It was subsequently decided that such a direct award would be illegal, which has resulted in the contract for the small vessels being put out to competitive tender. Ferguson Marine has passed the pre-qualification stage and is one of six firms invited to bid for the contract, but Audit Scotland notes ‘there is no guarantee that it will secure the work’.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the shipyard and the completion of the Glen Rosa, it seems there is no end in sight for the SNP’s ferries fiasco.
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