The dry dock period was the first major milestone in Ferguson’s revised programme to complete the two public sector vessels, as identified by the Turnaround Director’s report published in December 2019.

Throughout the three-week stint a package of remedial work was carried out which included the replacement of the bulbous bow, paint repair, removal of marine growth from the vessel hull and external welding.

Tim Hair, Turnaround Director at Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd, said: “Following a period of uncertainty due to Covid-19, it has been really gratifying to see our team return to outdoor working on GLEN SANNOX.

“While our office-based colleagues have continued to work from home throughout lockdown, making good progress on design and planning, the dry-docking period marked a key milestone in the project and in getting a substantial proportion of our yard workers back to the task at hand.

“We’ve made some solid strides forward over the last few weeks on GLEN SANNOX and have slightly extended the dry dock period to take advantage of the stability of the vessel whilst stationed there to carry out some additional tasks.

“Now that the ferry has been brought up to its current condition and has returned to our shipyard, the next steps will include work on the superstructure, electrical work and the installation of approximately 16km of pipework.”

A report on the progress and impact of Covid-19 on the programme for dual fuel vessels 801 and 802 was presented to Parliament on 25^th August 2020.

The overall project to turn Ferguson around and deliver the ferries was in line with the plan when lockdown occurred and the cost of the project to deliver the ferries remains unchanged at £110.3m. Due to the yard being forced to close for three months and on restricted working for at least a further three months, GLEN SANNOX is now due for delivery between April 2022 and June 2022.