Passing
Greenock when starting sea trials, 13 February 2024
| |
History | |
---|---|
Name | Glen Sannox [1] |
Namesake | MV Glen Sannox (1957) and Glen Sannox on the Isle of Arran |
Operator | Caledonian MacBrayne |
Port of registry | Glasgow |
Route | Ardrossan– Brodick |
Builder | Ferguson Marine, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland |
Cost | £97 million original contract for two ferries; £340 million as of September 2022 |
Yard number | 801 |
Laid down | 17 February 2017 |
Launched | 21 November 2017 |
Christened | by Nicola Sturgeon |
Identification | IMO number: 9794513 |
Status | Sea trials |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 1,273 DWT [2] |
Length | 102.4 m (335 ft 11 in) [2] |
Beam | 17 m (55 ft 9 in) [2] |
Draught | 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) [2] |
Installed power | 2 × Wärtsilä 34DF diesels [4] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 14.5 kn (26.85 km/h) [2] |
Capacity |
MV Glen Sannox is a dual-fuel car and passenger ferry constructed at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow for Caledonian MacBrayne, planned to serve the Ardrossan to Brodick crossing. Initially expected to enter service in summer 2018, the ship only began its sea trials in February 2024. [5] [6] It has been the subject of continuing political scandal known as the " ferry fiasco" regarding increased costs and lengthy delays. [7] [8] [9]
Originally expected to enter service in 2018, [1] construction delays led to her launch being pushed back to November 2017, with the ship then expected to begin operation in late 2018 or early 2019. [10] After further delays, handover was expected between March and May 2023 - five years late. [11] [12] On 16 March 2023, it was reported that further delays had pushed the vessel's entry into service to Autumn 2023; [13] in August 2023, a further delay to the start of the summer 2024 timetable was announced. [14] A further delay was announced on 19 April 2024 due to complications with the vessel's LNG powerplants, with the vessel now due to be delivered by 31 July 2024, however Ferguson Marine expect no further increase in cost. [15]
The State-owned enterprise CalMac, originally Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, was formed in 1973 as a vessel owner and operator providing most of the ferry services to the Firth of Clyde and the Hebridean islands off the west coast of Scotland. In 2006, its roles were split to satisfy EU competition rules. As Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) it continued to own the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet and order new ships, while CalMac Ferries Ltd (CalMac) was created as a separate company which successfully bid in open competitive tender for the contract to operate the services. Many of CalMac's ferries had been built by Ferguson Shipbuilders, which five years earlier had employed 300 people, but it had struggled to compete and CalMac orders were won by the Remontowa shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. [16] [17] In 2011 Fergusons successfully bid for two small ships for CMAL, funded by the Scottish Government's Low Emissions Hybrid Ferries project. [18] [16]
The Scottish Government's Ferries Plan, which its executive agency Transport Scotland published in December 2012, [19] included indicative proposals for two new vessels. [20] International emissions regulations tightened, and cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel was adopted by ferry operators in Northern Europe, [21] particularly Norway. The Danish island of Samsø invited tenders for the first in the EU, and in June 2013 Remontowa was awarded the contract for this dual-fuel ferry, to be delivered in October 2014. [2] [22] David MacBrayne Ltd bid to operate a ferry connecting Gotland in Sweden, with detailed proposals drawn up by CalMac, but in May 2014 this bid was reported unsuccessful. [23]
To prepare the Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan (VRDP), Transport Scotland held tripartite monthly meetings with CMAL and CalMac, starting in October 2013. By agreement, CalMac led development of programmes for the major vessels. [24] In early July 2014 the Scottish Government, using CalMac's initial analytical work, authorised the procurement of two new major ferries, aiming to name the preferred bidder in nine months. CMAL's head of vessels said then that this timetable was a "hugely challenging". It left CalMac only three weeks to produce its Specification of Technical and Operational Requirements. They quickly adapted work done for the Gotland ferry bid, but made some errors such as including irrelevant description of passenger cabins. The exceptionally large and detailed specification now had to be made more concise as part of CMAL's tender documents. [16] [20]
Ferguson Shipbuilders had been struggling to get orders. Cash flow problems, and difficulties in arranging financial bonds (or refund guarantees) left it unable to bid for several major contracts. The workforce was reduced to 77, then on 15 August 2014, a month before the Scottish independence referendum, the yard went bankrupt, [25] [26] and the administrators KPMG immediately laid off 70 workers. [27] The First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond of the SNP, personally intervened and persuaded businessman Jim McColl, one of his Council of Economic Advisers, to buy out the shipyard. [28] McColl's Clyde Blowers Capital, previously deterred by the yard's debts, now took over its assets and business, [16] [29] and formed Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) as a new subsidiary. On 30 September Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that FMEL had been given the order for a third hybrid ferry. [26] Government ministers had given CMAL a letter of comfort allowing the contract to go ahead without a refund guarantee. [30]
CMAL's draft was disputed by CalMac, who said on 14 October that it only met 20% of their requirements. The compromise eventually specified in the tender documents meant wider ships which would need improvements to ports. [16]
The start of the vessel procurement process was publicly announced on 15 October 2014 by the Transport Minister Keith Brown. [24] The pre-qualifying questionnaire (PQQ) issued on 17 October invited shipbuilders to confirm their suitability before shortlisting for the invitation to tender. [31] [32] The questionnaire emphasised the requirement for Bank Refund Guarantee bonds before work started, and requested evidence from a bank confirming its willingness to provide these guarantees. [33] [34] Following discussion with CMAL, FMEL said on 9 December that guarantees from its parent company (Clyde Blowers) would be inappropriate, so it intended to provide Bank Guarantees and would "endeavour to provide Guarantees to levels that provide the security you require." [33]
The invitation to tender (ITT) specified using the BIMCO New Build Contract template, and was issued to six shortlisted shipbuilders on 10 December 2014. The ITT included CalMac's specification (the Statement of Requirements outlining the Buyer's proposal for the type and design of the Vessels, to be dual-fuel LNG) and the draft contract which required refund guarantees on behalf of the Builder by "a first class international bank". Bidders were asked to make comments or propose changes to the draft contract, FMEL wrote that they had no comment to make "at this time". Local MSP Stuart McMillan wrote to the deputy first minister John Swinney, in early February 2015 transport minister Derek Mackay responded that refund guarantees were only "a preference" which would not be required, and alternatives might be accommodated. [31] [35]
Tenders were submitted by 31 March 2015, then evaluated on cost and quality by CMAL with assistance of a consultant naval architect. CalMac gave technical input. The FMEL design was heavy, with large engines, and priced at £109.8m for the two ships. Their bid mentioned a lighter version, on 17 May the consultant asked for details, enabling FMEL to price this at £100.5m, eventually negotiated down to £97m. The Remontowa bid was assessed as second to FMEL, [16] [36] whose offer was "the highest quality bid received but also the highest price. Taken together, the FMEL tender achieved the highest overall evaluation score". On 20 August the Transport Scotland Ferries Unit wrote asking the transport minister to approve in principle award of the contracts by CMAL before the tenders expired on 31 August. [20] [31]
Glen Sannox is to be the first of two Scottish ferries capable of operating on either marine gas oil or LNG, with benefits of a marked reduction in carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions. [1] Her name was chosen from a shortlist by public ballot and recalls an earlier Arran ferry. [37]
The first steel was cut on 7 April 2016 and Glen Sannox was launched on 21 November 2017 by the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, [38] [39] It has been reported that the vessel's bulbous bow was not fit for purpose at the time of the launch, and only fitted to be able to claim "milestone payments" from the Scottish Government. [40] The bridge windows were painted on, [39] and the funnels were not operational, but only for show for the launch. [40]
In August 2018, new Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Matheson said it had been confirmed that the ship was to be delivered in June 2019, followed by two months of crew familiarisation and sea trials. [41]
Further dispute over the contract overrun led to the shipyard going into administration and being nationalised by the Scottish Government. [42] [43]
A report produced after nationalisation indicated that Glen Sannox should be handed over to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) in the last quarter of 2021 and that completing the two ferries was likely to increase the total cost to over £207 million. [44] In April 2020, Ferguson Marine contracted with International Contract Engineering, a marine design consultant, to revise the design and outfitting of Glen Sannox in advance of her eventual delivery. [45]
On 10 August 2020, tugs moved Glen Sannox to the Garvel dry dock in Greenock for remedial work including replacement of the bulbous bow, paintwork repair and removal of marine growth. [46] After additional work, the ship returned to the Fergusons shipyard in Port Glasgow on 9 September 2020. [47]
In October 2022, it was announced that Glen Sannox would initially operate only on marine gas oil, as vacuum sensors required for the LNG system were not available. [48]
Further delays to both ferries and increasing costs of £250 million, subsequently rising to £340 million by September 2022, have resulted in controversy surrounding the contract and the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. [49] [50] The Scottish Government announced that key documents relating to the decision-making process had gone missing. [51]
In September 2023, a failed safety audit meant that MV Glen Sannox was further delayed: among other issues, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) insisted on the installation of additional staircases as a condition of approving a safety audit. The work meant that planned sea trials of the Glen Sannox were delayed until the first quarter of 2024, raising doubts over whether the ship will be available for the start of the 2024 summer season. [52] Meeting MCA safety regulations ultimately meant that the passenger capacity of both ferries had to be cut from a planned 1,000 to 852. [3] The ship began manufacturer's sea trials on 13 February 2024. [6]
Glen Sannox is being built for the Ardrossan to Brodick crossing. She was originally intended to serve as a running mate to MV Caledonian Isles on the Ardrossan–Brodick and the Ardrossan–Campbeltown crossings. [7] [8] In May 2023, it was announced that Glen Sannox's sister vessel, MV Glen Rosa, would also serve the Arran route. [53] However, the two new Arran ferries will initially be operating between Troon and Brodick for the first two or three years of their career, due to the planned upgrade works for Ardrossan harbour. [54]
Buyers use a PQQ to assess the resources and capability of suppliers who express interest in a contract opportunity ... The intention of this stage of the procurement process is to identify the suppliers who are most capable of performing the contract.
Passing
Greenock when starting sea trials, 13 February 2024
| |
History | |
---|---|
Name | Glen Sannox [1] |
Namesake | MV Glen Sannox (1957) and Glen Sannox on the Isle of Arran |
Operator | Caledonian MacBrayne |
Port of registry | Glasgow |
Route | Ardrossan– Brodick |
Builder | Ferguson Marine, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland |
Cost | £97 million original contract for two ferries; £340 million as of September 2022 |
Yard number | 801 |
Laid down | 17 February 2017 |
Launched | 21 November 2017 |
Christened | by Nicola Sturgeon |
Identification | IMO number: 9794513 |
Status | Sea trials |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 1,273 DWT [2] |
Length | 102.4 m (335 ft 11 in) [2] |
Beam | 17 m (55 ft 9 in) [2] |
Draught | 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) [2] |
Installed power | 2 × Wärtsilä 34DF diesels [4] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 14.5 kn (26.85 km/h) [2] |
Capacity |
MV Glen Sannox is a dual-fuel car and passenger ferry constructed at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow for Caledonian MacBrayne, planned to serve the Ardrossan to Brodick crossing. Initially expected to enter service in summer 2018, the ship only began its sea trials in February 2024. [5] [6] It has been the subject of continuing political scandal known as the " ferry fiasco" regarding increased costs and lengthy delays. [7] [8] [9]
Originally expected to enter service in 2018, [1] construction delays led to her launch being pushed back to November 2017, with the ship then expected to begin operation in late 2018 or early 2019. [10] After further delays, handover was expected between March and May 2023 - five years late. [11] [12] On 16 March 2023, it was reported that further delays had pushed the vessel's entry into service to Autumn 2023; [13] in August 2023, a further delay to the start of the summer 2024 timetable was announced. [14] A further delay was announced on 19 April 2024 due to complications with the vessel's LNG powerplants, with the vessel now due to be delivered by 31 July 2024, however Ferguson Marine expect no further increase in cost. [15]
The State-owned enterprise CalMac, originally Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, was formed in 1973 as a vessel owner and operator providing most of the ferry services to the Firth of Clyde and the Hebridean islands off the west coast of Scotland. In 2006, its roles were split to satisfy EU competition rules. As Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) it continued to own the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet and order new ships, while CalMac Ferries Ltd (CalMac) was created as a separate company which successfully bid in open competitive tender for the contract to operate the services. Many of CalMac's ferries had been built by Ferguson Shipbuilders, which five years earlier had employed 300 people, but it had struggled to compete and CalMac orders were won by the Remontowa shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. [16] [17] In 2011 Fergusons successfully bid for two small ships for CMAL, funded by the Scottish Government's Low Emissions Hybrid Ferries project. [18] [16]
The Scottish Government's Ferries Plan, which its executive agency Transport Scotland published in December 2012, [19] included indicative proposals for two new vessels. [20] International emissions regulations tightened, and cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel was adopted by ferry operators in Northern Europe, [21] particularly Norway. The Danish island of Samsø invited tenders for the first in the EU, and in June 2013 Remontowa was awarded the contract for this dual-fuel ferry, to be delivered in October 2014. [2] [22] David MacBrayne Ltd bid to operate a ferry connecting Gotland in Sweden, with detailed proposals drawn up by CalMac, but in May 2014 this bid was reported unsuccessful. [23]
To prepare the Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan (VRDP), Transport Scotland held tripartite monthly meetings with CMAL and CalMac, starting in October 2013. By agreement, CalMac led development of programmes for the major vessels. [24] In early July 2014 the Scottish Government, using CalMac's initial analytical work, authorised the procurement of two new major ferries, aiming to name the preferred bidder in nine months. CMAL's head of vessels said then that this timetable was a "hugely challenging". It left CalMac only three weeks to produce its Specification of Technical and Operational Requirements. They quickly adapted work done for the Gotland ferry bid, but made some errors such as including irrelevant description of passenger cabins. The exceptionally large and detailed specification now had to be made more concise as part of CMAL's tender documents. [16] [20]
Ferguson Shipbuilders had been struggling to get orders. Cash flow problems, and difficulties in arranging financial bonds (or refund guarantees) left it unable to bid for several major contracts. The workforce was reduced to 77, then on 15 August 2014, a month before the Scottish independence referendum, the yard went bankrupt, [25] [26] and the administrators KPMG immediately laid off 70 workers. [27] The First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond of the SNP, personally intervened and persuaded businessman Jim McColl, one of his Council of Economic Advisers, to buy out the shipyard. [28] McColl's Clyde Blowers Capital, previously deterred by the yard's debts, now took over its assets and business, [16] [29] and formed Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) as a new subsidiary. On 30 September Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that FMEL had been given the order for a third hybrid ferry. [26] Government ministers had given CMAL a letter of comfort allowing the contract to go ahead without a refund guarantee. [30]
CMAL's draft was disputed by CalMac, who said on 14 October that it only met 20% of their requirements. The compromise eventually specified in the tender documents meant wider ships which would need improvements to ports. [16]
The start of the vessel procurement process was publicly announced on 15 October 2014 by the Transport Minister Keith Brown. [24] The pre-qualifying questionnaire (PQQ) issued on 17 October invited shipbuilders to confirm their suitability before shortlisting for the invitation to tender. [31] [32] The questionnaire emphasised the requirement for Bank Refund Guarantee bonds before work started, and requested evidence from a bank confirming its willingness to provide these guarantees. [33] [34] Following discussion with CMAL, FMEL said on 9 December that guarantees from its parent company (Clyde Blowers) would be inappropriate, so it intended to provide Bank Guarantees and would "endeavour to provide Guarantees to levels that provide the security you require." [33]
The invitation to tender (ITT) specified using the BIMCO New Build Contract template, and was issued to six shortlisted shipbuilders on 10 December 2014. The ITT included CalMac's specification (the Statement of Requirements outlining the Buyer's proposal for the type and design of the Vessels, to be dual-fuel LNG) and the draft contract which required refund guarantees on behalf of the Builder by "a first class international bank". Bidders were asked to make comments or propose changes to the draft contract, FMEL wrote that they had no comment to make "at this time". Local MSP Stuart McMillan wrote to the deputy first minister John Swinney, in early February 2015 transport minister Derek Mackay responded that refund guarantees were only "a preference" which would not be required, and alternatives might be accommodated. [31] [35]
Tenders were submitted by 31 March 2015, then evaluated on cost and quality by CMAL with assistance of a consultant naval architect. CalMac gave technical input. The FMEL design was heavy, with large engines, and priced at £109.8m for the two ships. Their bid mentioned a lighter version, on 17 May the consultant asked for details, enabling FMEL to price this at £100.5m, eventually negotiated down to £97m. The Remontowa bid was assessed as second to FMEL, [16] [36] whose offer was "the highest quality bid received but also the highest price. Taken together, the FMEL tender achieved the highest overall evaluation score". On 20 August the Transport Scotland Ferries Unit wrote asking the transport minister to approve in principle award of the contracts by CMAL before the tenders expired on 31 August. [20] [31]
Glen Sannox is to be the first of two Scottish ferries capable of operating on either marine gas oil or LNG, with benefits of a marked reduction in carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions. [1] Her name was chosen from a shortlist by public ballot and recalls an earlier Arran ferry. [37]
The first steel was cut on 7 April 2016 and Glen Sannox was launched on 21 November 2017 by the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, [38] [39] It has been reported that the vessel's bulbous bow was not fit for purpose at the time of the launch, and only fitted to be able to claim "milestone payments" from the Scottish Government. [40] The bridge windows were painted on, [39] and the funnels were not operational, but only for show for the launch. [40]
In August 2018, new Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Matheson said it had been confirmed that the ship was to be delivered in June 2019, followed by two months of crew familiarisation and sea trials. [41]
Further dispute over the contract overrun led to the shipyard going into administration and being nationalised by the Scottish Government. [42] [43]
A report produced after nationalisation indicated that Glen Sannox should be handed over to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) in the last quarter of 2021 and that completing the two ferries was likely to increase the total cost to over £207 million. [44] In April 2020, Ferguson Marine contracted with International Contract Engineering, a marine design consultant, to revise the design and outfitting of Glen Sannox in advance of her eventual delivery. [45]
On 10 August 2020, tugs moved Glen Sannox to the Garvel dry dock in Greenock for remedial work including replacement of the bulbous bow, paintwork repair and removal of marine growth. [46] After additional work, the ship returned to the Fergusons shipyard in Port Glasgow on 9 September 2020. [47]
In October 2022, it was announced that Glen Sannox would initially operate only on marine gas oil, as vacuum sensors required for the LNG system were not available. [48]
Further delays to both ferries and increasing costs of £250 million, subsequently rising to £340 million by September 2022, have resulted in controversy surrounding the contract and the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. [49] [50] The Scottish Government announced that key documents relating to the decision-making process had gone missing. [51]
In September 2023, a failed safety audit meant that MV Glen Sannox was further delayed: among other issues, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) insisted on the installation of additional staircases as a condition of approving a safety audit. The work meant that planned sea trials of the Glen Sannox were delayed until the first quarter of 2024, raising doubts over whether the ship will be available for the start of the 2024 summer season. [52] Meeting MCA safety regulations ultimately meant that the passenger capacity of both ferries had to be cut from a planned 1,000 to 852. [3] The ship began manufacturer's sea trials on 13 February 2024. [6]
Glen Sannox is being built for the Ardrossan to Brodick crossing. She was originally intended to serve as a running mate to MV Caledonian Isles on the Ardrossan–Brodick and the Ardrossan–Campbeltown crossings. [7] [8] In May 2023, it was announced that Glen Sannox's sister vessel, MV Glen Rosa, would also serve the Arran route. [53] However, the two new Arran ferries will initially be operating between Troon and Brodick for the first two or three years of their career, due to the planned upgrade works for Ardrossan harbour. [54]
Buyers use a PQQ to assess the resources and capability of suppliers who express interest in a contract opportunity ... The intention of this stage of the procurement process is to identify the suppliers who are most capable of performing the contract.