Public at launch, 9 April 2024. | |
History | |
---|---|
Name | Glen Rosa |
Namesake | Glen Rosa on the Isle of Arran |
Owner | Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited |
Operator | Caledonian MacBrayne |
Port of registry | Glasgow |
Route | Ardrossan - Brodick |
Ordered | 2016 |
Builder | Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd., Scotland |
Cost | £97 million contract for two ferries, current cost estimate £250 million [1] |
Yard number | 802 |
Laid down | 16 June 2016 |
Launched | 9 April 2024 |
Christened | by Beth Atkinson |
Completed | May 2025 (expected) |
Identification | IMO number: 9794525 |
Status | Under construction |
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. [3] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 14.5 kn (26.85 km/h) [2] |
Capacity |
MV Glen Rosa (Scottish Gaelic : Gleann Ruasaidh) is a Scottish dual-fuel car and passenger ferry currently under construction at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde. She is expected to enter service with Caledonian MacBrayne on the Ardrossan to Brodick route, serving the Isle of Arran. Known as Hull 802 during construction, the vessel was initially expected to enter service in 2019, however it has been the subject of an ongoing political scandal known as the "ferry fiasco" owing to increased costs and lengthy delays to her construction, which as of September 2023 have pushed its in-service date back to 2025. [6]
The name Glen Rosa was chosen by public vote in August 2023. [7] [8]
Glen Rosa will be the second of two Scottish ferries capable of operating on either marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG), aiming at benefits of a marked reduction in carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions. [9] The first steel for both ships was cut on 7 April 2016. The first ship, Glen Sannox, was launched on 21 November 2017 by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. [1]
Glen Rosa was expected to be launched in 2018, and to enter service the following year. [10] However, along with her sister ship, she has been the subject of increased costs and lengthy delays to her construction. Following delays to both ships and nationalisation of the shipyard, the second ferry was estimated in December 2019 to be delivered to CMAL in summer 2022. [11] There were delays due to the pandemic and shortages of skilled labour, and in June 2021 delivery was rescheduled for April 2023 to July 2023. [12] At the start of September 2021, installation of the bulbous bow, as well as stern sections, was reported as marking significant progress. [13]
Further delays in early 2022 saw the delivery date slip to October–December 2023. [14] The ship's delivery date was delayed again in September 2022 to the first quarter of 2024. [15] As of August 2023, the expected launch date was March 2024, with the vessel due to enter service by the end of 2024. [7] [8] By the end of September 2023, however, Ferguson chief executive David Tydeman told the Scottish Government’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee that MV Glen Rosa had been further delayed and that its completion date had been pushed back from the end of 2024 to the end of May 2025. [6]
A public poll was run in August 2023 to choose a name for the vessel, which had previously been referred to as "Hull 802", from a shortlist of Claymore, Glen Cloy and Glen Rosa. [7] Glen Rosa was announced as the name on 31 August 2023, having been selected by 52% out of a total vote of nearly 5,000 entries. [8]
On 10 November 2023, it was announced that the launch date for Glen Rosa had been set as 12 March 2024, but this was later pushed back to 9 April following additional delays to Glen Sannox. By that point, Glen Sannox should either be completed or docked in another part of the Clyde to finish fitting out. [16]
The Glen Rosa was launched by Beth Atkinson, a qualified welder who had completed her apprenticeship at the yard the year prior. [17]
Glen Rosa was originally ordered to serve on the "Uig Triangle" routes, linking Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist with Uig on Skye. However in October 2022, CMAL ordered two new ferries for this route, named MV Claymore and MV Lochmor, leading to uncertainty about where Glen Rosa would be deployed. [18] In August 2023, CMAL confirmed that she would serve Arran, partnering Glen Sannox, with both dual-fuel vessels allocated to the Ardrossan to Brodick route. [7] The two new Arran ferries will initially operate between Troon and Brodick for the first two or three years of their careers, due to the planned upgrade works for Ardrossan harbour. [19]
Brodick is the main village on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It is halfway along the east coast of the island, in Brodick Bay below Goat Fell, the tallest mountain on Arran. The name is derived from the Norse "breda-vick" meaning "Broad Bay".
Caledonian MacBrayne, in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsidiary of holding company David MacBrayne, which is owned by the Scottish Government.
MV Caledonian Isles, usually referred to locally as the Caley Isles, is one of the largest ships operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which runs ferries to the Hebridean and Clyde Islands of Scotland. Caledonian Isles serves the Isle of Arran on the Ardrossan to Brodick route. As it is one of CalMac's busiest routes, Caledonian Isles has the largest passenger capacity in the fleet, and can carry up to 1000 passengers and 110 cars, with a crossing time of 55 minutes. She is used extensively by day-trippers to the Isle of Arran during the summer.
The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 ferries in operation, 2 on charter and another 6 on order. The company provides lifeline services to 23 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating routes in the Firth of Clyde.
Ferguson Marine Limited is a shipbuilding company whose yard, located in Port Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, was established in 1903. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river. For some years the company's mainstay has been Roll-on/roll-off ferries, primarily for Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), including a series of innovative hybrid diesel-electric/battery-powered vessels. Beset with difficulties since 2018 over their latest two CalMac ferries, Fergusons' largest ever vessel, the shipyard was nationalised in December 2019. It is now classified as an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.
MV Lord of the Isles is one of the larger Caledonian MacBrayne vessels and operates from Mallaig on the west of Scotland. Built in Port Glasgow, she is the most-travelled vessel in the CalMac fleet.
MV Hebrides is a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Uig to Lochmaddy and Tarbert, the main settlements of North Uist and Harris respectively.
MV Hebridean Isles is a ro-ro vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the west coast of Scotland. She was the first MacBrayne vessel to be ordered and built for them outside Scotland and the first to be launched sideways. With bow, stern and side ramps, Hebridean Isles is suitable for all the routes served by the large fleet units. After 15 years crossing the Little Minch on the Uig triangle, she now serves Islay and Colonsay.
MV Isle of Arran is a drive-through ferry operated on the west coast of Scotland by Caledonian MacBrayne. Entering service in 1984, she served on the Arran route for nine years before being moved to Kennacraig. She returned to her original route in 2012, supplementing MV Caledonian Isles in summer and becoming a relief vessel in winter. In 2013, she started a new pilot route from Ardrossan to Campbeltown, which became a permanent fixture in 2015. As of 2023, she is one of the oldest vessels in the fleet, having been in service for 40 years; upon arriving into Oban in the West Highlands, celebrations were mounted ashore to mark the 40th anniversary of her launch and service on 2 December 2023.
The Isle of Arran or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at 432 square kilometres (167 sq mi). Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire. In the 2011 census it had a resident population of 4,629. Though culturally and physically similar to the Hebrides, it is separated from them by the Kintyre peninsula. Often referred to as "Scotland in Miniature", the Island is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault and has been described as a "geologist's paradise".
MV Orion is a ro-ro passenger and vehicle ferry. Saturn was operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland between 1978 and 2011, for the first decade of her career on the Rothesay crossing. Later, she also saw service on the Dunoon and Brodick crossings, as well as on short cruises around the Clyde.
MV Glen Sannox was a Clyde car ferry launched in 1957. Built for the Arran service, she spent her first 14 years there. Thereafter, she had a versatile career on the west coast of Scotland, lasting over 32 years, including providing cruises between 1977 and 1982. In 1989, she was sold for service on the Red Sea. She ran aground south of Jeddah and lay in a sunken condition from 2000.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles.
MV Catriona is a pioneering diesel electric hybrid passenger and vehicle roll-on, roll-off ferry built for Caledonian MacBrayne for the Claonaig–Lochranza crossing. She is the third hybrid ferry commissioned and owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets, one of three such ferries in the world to incorporate a low-carbon hybrid system of diesel electric and lithium ion battery power. The ferries are sea-going and are nearly 46 metres (150 ft) long, accommodating 150 passengers, 23 cars or two HGVs.
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 at a cost of £97 million, on 13 February 2024 the ship began its sea trials, moving under its own power for the first time. It has been the subject of continuing political scandal known as the "ferry fiasco" regarding increased costs and lengthy delays.
MV Loch Frisa is a ferry bought by Caledonian Maritime Assets for operation by Caledonian MacBrayne to serve between Oban and Craignure. She was originally named MV Utne and operated by Norled from 2015 to 2021. In December 2021, following a naming competition, CMAL announced her renaming as MV Loch Frisa.
The Ferry Fiasco is a name given to a controversy relating to the delays and increasing costs of two ferries under construction, MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, in Scotland. The ferries are being built by Ferguson Marine Ltd, for the state-owned ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne under direction of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Transport Scotland, and the Scottish Government. Originally intended to come into service in 2018 and 2019 respectively, both ferries have been delayed by over five years, and costs have more than trebled to £360 million.
MV Alfred is a catamaran ferry owned by Pentland Ferries, currently chartered to Caledonian MacBrayne for their west coast service.
MV Claymore is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry currently under construction for use on Caledonian MacBrayne routes on the west coast of Scotland. She is the third of four ferries being built at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, and is expected to be delivered in June 2025 for service on the "Uig Triangle" routes linking Tarbert in Harris and Lochmaddy in North Uist with Uig in Skye.
MV Lochmor is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry currently under construction for use on Caledonian MacBrayne routes on the west coast of Scotland. She is the fourth of four ferries being built at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, and is expected to be delivered in October 2025 for service on the "Uig Triangle" routes linking Tarbert in Harris and Lochmaddy in North Uist with Uig in Skye.