Following a public naming competition, a new Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) ferry is to be called GLEN ROSA its owners have announced. The name will be given to the vessel commonly known as hull 802. GLEN ROSA was one of three choices given to the public and garnered 52% of the vote.
The GLEN ROSA is the much delayed sister-ship to GLEN SANNOX, a vessel which itself is also heavily delayed. Even when launched in 2017, GLEN SANNOX was already expected to miss its original delivery date during May 2018. As with GLEN SANNOX, GLEN ROSA has been allocated to CalMac’s Ardrossan to Arran route.
Robbie Drummond, Chief Executive of CalMac, said:
“We are very much looking forward to MV Glen Rosa and MV Glen Sannox joining our fleet. These vessels will provide much-needed resilience to the Arran community, and to the network as a whole.”
Scottish Government controlled Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) ran the competition from 2 to 23 August. CMAL will lease the vessel to Caledonian MacBrayne, as is normally the case. The other names the public could vote for were “Glen Coy” and “Claymore”.
The three proposed names are related to the island of Arran which the GLEN ROSA will serve. Glen Rosa is a glen near Goat Fell on Arran which is located in the Firth of Clyde.
Further delays to Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa?
Fresh concerns were published last week that both GLEN SANNOX and GLEN ROSA could be further delayed. The Times and others reported that delivery of both vessels may be delayed beyond current estimates unless the work rate at their builders yard, Ferguson Marine, increases.
Furthermore, an inspection by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency resulted in modifications being required to the accommodation onboard GLEN SANNOX. This includes the addition of three staircases on the already partially completed ship.
GLEN SANNOX and GLEN ROSA were originally ordered in October 2015. It is currently expected that GLEN SANNOX will enter service during summer 2024 with delivery of GLEN ROSA in December of the same year. Shipyard Ferguson Marine recently confirmed that GLEN ROSA will now not be launched until spring 2024 as a result of the modifications needed to GLEN SANNOX.
Commenting on the name and latest confirmed delay, Kevin Hobbs, Chief Executive of CMAL said:
“The public’s response to the naming of Hull 802 has been fantastic to see, and I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to vote.
“Though we are disappointed in the delay to launching the vessel reported by Fergusons last week, we understand that the priority is ensuring that the newly named MV Glen Rosa achieves Maritime and Coast Guard (MCA) approval. We continue to work closely with the team at Ferguson Marine and can see great progress being made towards the delivery of both MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa.”
However, this timetable could slip further with both vessels now requiring modifications not originally factored into to these delivery dates. Earlier this year Ferguson Marine also began work on the UK’s Type 26 frigate programme under sub-contract from BAE Systems.
