DELIVERY dates for two lifeline ferries being built at the nationalised Ferguson shipyard are expected to fall further behind schedule - despite moves to recruit workers from overseas.

Technical issues with both vessels and the progression of the Omicron variant have been citied as major issues for Ferguson Marine in meeting the very latest schedules.

The delayed arrival of the first ship for CalMac Glen Sannox which was due to serve on one of Scotland's busiest crossing, the Ardrossan to Arran service was to be handed over between July and September this year - four years later than expected.

The second ship, currently known as Hull 802, was to be delivered between April and July 2023 - five years later than scheduled - and enter service on the the Uig on the Isle of Skye to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist.

The nationalised shipyard said further delays last year were down to Covid and a shortage of local skilled labour.

But the £793,000-a-year turnaround director Tim Hair in a final update after leaving his post has warned of further issues that will hit the ships' delivery.

At the centre of the issues with Hull 802 is a ducktail, which runs the full width of the ship, is around eight feet wide and is designed to increase the speed of the vessel.

At their request Ferguson Marine have for some time been in discussion with Scottish government, Transport Scotland and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), the taxpayer-funded company which owns and procures ferries, regarding the ducktail which have "the potential to impact the schedule for delivery", said Mr Hair.

There were also delays in the installation of pipework on Glen Sannox.

"Actions are in place to increase resource and recover the shortfall in early 2022, but this is an important area and represents a critical risk to the delivery of 801," Mr Hair said.

"Delivery of [Glen Sannox] in the time window described is achievable but remains challenging. The planned increase in production activity in January and February is critical to the achievement of this delivery schedule," he said.

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The analysis also warned that the progression of the Omicron variant also had the potential to cause "severe disruption at a critical time".

"At the time of writing the Omicron variant is in its early stages but Ferguson has already seen an increase in absence for self-isolation and testing. It seems likely that we will experience significant disruption in January and that in turn might result in lost productivity. The resulting impact is impossible to quantify or predict at this juncture," said Mr Hair.

He said the shortage of shortage of skilled workers available locally or from the UK have focussed on the use of sub-contractors employing overseas workers, and Mr Hair said this approach was "working well".

He also warned that the equipment for the ferries that has already been installed may have deteriorated "Although surveys, remediation and replacement have taken place under government ownership there is an unquantifiable risk that equipment problems may emerge during commissioning," he said.

Mr Hair, who was appointed after the shipyard went into administration in 2019 is to be replaced by a new chief executive David Tydeman, who has worked for several decades in the marine, shipbuilding and offshore industries.

Mr Hair, who was charged with implementing a major transformation programme for the troubled shipyard, which recently missed out on an order to build two new CalMac ferries insisted that the ferry delivery schedules for Glen Sannox, of between July 25 and September 25 this year, and for hull 802 of between April 3 and July 3 next year, remains on track.

But he conceded that 'areas of note' have been identified as potential obstacles to achieving those target dates.

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He concluded: "I am proud to have played my part in the history of the yard, have every confidence that it has a sustainable future, and will watch the next stage of its development with interest."

A CMAL spokesman said: "The ducktail makes the ferry more efficient by reducing resistance, which allows it to burn less fuel.

"The ducktail was included in the original Ferguson Marine designs for Hull 802. We're not currently aware of any impact its inclusion will have on delivery of the vessel. We are continuing to work closely with Transport Scotland, Scottish Government and Fergusons to manage the delivery of the two vessels."

The collapse of Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL), which ran the last remaining shipyard on the lower Clyde, in August 2019, came amid soaring costs and delays to the construction of two lifeline island ferries and resulted in a Scottish Government management takeover.

Ministers have said they believe they were acting in the public interest in taking control of FMEL in August 2019, saving it from closure, rescuing more than 300 jobs, and ensuring that the two vessels under construction will be completed.

A 2020 Holyrood probe into the construction of the ferries - Glen Sannox and an as-yet unnamed ship, known as Hull 802 - branded the management process a "catastrophic failure".