FERRY bosses have revealed the name of the second delayed vessel being built for CalMac by the Ferguson Marine shipyard.
The ferry, which until now has only been known as Hull 802, will be called Glen Rosa.
CMAL, the body which owns CalMac vessels as well as the port and harbour infrastructure, announced the name after a public vote in which nearly 5000 people took part.
Glen Rosa, which is Gleann Ruasaidh in Gaelic, was the most popular option, winning 52% of all votes cast.
READ MORE: Home Office rejects MPs' call for safe drug consumption rooms
The new vessel is the sister ship to the Glen Sannox, also being built at Ferguson Marine on the Clyde.
The ferries, which will serve islands off Scotland’s west coast, were due to be in service in 2018 at a price of £97 million, but delays have led to spiralling costs which could amount to more than three times that figure.
The name of the second vessel was announced after it emerged last week that sea trials for the Glen Sannox have been held up due to last-minute changes.
The Glen Rosa is currently due for launch in March 2024, and when completed both ferries will play a vital role in providing sailings to Arran.
CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs 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 Coastguard approval.
READ MORE: BBC producers rapped over 'skewed' Scottish alcohol deaths graph
“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.”
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of state-owned 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.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel