THE Scottish Government-controlled owner of the nation's ferries has indicated that continuing gaps in the design of the nation's ferry fiasco vessels is providing a "significant risk" to their delivery.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), the taxpayer-funded company which owns and procures ferries, raised concerns in its latest analysis of progress of the construction of two lifeline ferries which remain languishing at the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard in Inverclyde.
Glen Sannox and Hull 802 were due online in the first half of 2018 when Ferguson Marine was under the control of tycoon Jim McColl, with one intitially to serve Arran and the other to serve the Skye triangle routes to North Uist and Harris, but they are at least five years late, with costs soaring from £97m to nearly £350m.
Both the shipyard and CMAL are still looking for delivery of Glen Sannox between March and May this year.
Ferguson Marine has advised CMAL that there will be further delay to the completion of Hull 802 which was scheduled to be set sail some time between October and December 2023 and be operationally ready at the start of next year. It said the overall programme for Hull 802 is now under review with installation of pipework behind schedule.
But in a delayed update on progress CMAL has warned: "Ongoing design changes affecting the constructability of the vessels design are driven exclusively within the shipyard process to meet regulatory and contracted specification requirements and are not driven by CMAL request for change. All are related to outstanding technical queries and previously unidentified works. Closure of final design gaps is needed, which at this late stage of the project remains a significant risk to the project."
According to a past risk assessment, a highest level alert highlighted by Ferguson Marine to the project included concerns of late changes "due to design errors".
It said: "These errors may be mistake, missed scope or non-conformances to requirements/spec."
The collapse of the Mr McColl-led Ferguson Marine, which operates the last remaining shipyard on the lower Clyde, in August 2019, came amid soaring costs and delays and resulted in a Scottish Government-pursued nationalisation. It came five years after the tycoon first rescued the yard when it went bust.
Mr McColl, wants an independent judge-led inquiry into the fiasco blamed the rising costs on repeated design changes by CMAL, the owners and procurers of Scotland’s ferry fleet. This has been denied by CMAL.
One ferry user group official said the continuing issues with the ferries was "a bit of a disaster."
"We just do not know if and when these vessels will even be accepted. You would have thought that after all this time issues with design would have been dealt with when we know these were to be key to the downturn when Jim McColl was in charge at the yard. The whole sorry tale is farcical."
Some yard workers raised concerns the vessels will never be considered fit to take to the seas while new problems over their delivery emerge.
The latest CMAL progress report for August reveals that a key equipment supplier advised that the main engine and generator turbocharges require upgrade works which meant that commissioning dates for the "first run" of its main propulsion was put back by at least two months.
It says that the performance of the electrical contractor "remains a concern" and is being closely monitored by the shipyard's senior management and CMAL following delays in dealing with problem cables.
A recovery plan was put in place after there was a slippage in pipework installation and electrical installation and other commissioning programmes.
Key challenges to the development of the ferries have included the installation of ship cables, found to be too short to reach equipment, and issues with pipework.
CMAL had previously raised concerns that "no consideration" was being given to the main body of cable installation that extended ship-wide totalling 125 miles.
Completion rate of cables was put at 38% against a target of 93%.
"The rate of installation of cables requires to be increased to meet planned completion dates. The impact of this delay is significant as it effects all completion works throughout the vessel. The yard are working on a recovery plan..." said the CMAL commentary.
Others issues included delivery, completion and accuracy of production drawings, availability of experience supervisors, shortage of tradespeople, availability of commissioning engineers and availability of materials.
Another key challenge was the commissioning of the LNG system.
A failure to order sensors that are part of the fuel safety system that allows Glen Sannox to operate means that if and when it is brought into service it will not initially run on LNG.
It will be operating on a diesel, single fuel system for at least the first nine months of its service.
Both Glen Sannox and Hull 802 were hailed as a step towards a greener future for Scotland's state owned CalMac ferry fleet as they were to be the first UK-built ships capable of running off LNG and marine gas oil.
LNG was seen as significantly cleaner and would help to reduce emissions to meet ambitious Scottish Government targets.
A Scottish Government update on progress has revealed that a series of regular calls has been put in place between the Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Ferguson Marine.
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