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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee 10 March 2026 [Draft]

10 Mar 2026 · S6 · Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Item of business

MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) and MV Glen Rosa (Hull 802)

Duncan Anderson Watch on SPTV

Thanks, convener. As you pointed out, I am the recently appointed chair of Ferguson’s. I joined as a non-executive director in March last year. Although we are here to talk about the ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, it is probably also worth my pointing out, as a new chairman, the potential of this shipyard on the Clyde. With an effective modernisation programme and improved build processes, it could be a leader in the industry. It may not seem like that now, but it is entirely possible.The past management of vessel construction has involved mistakes, largely due to the use over several decades of poor or outdated shipbuilding techniques. The staff have remained hard working and dedicated to their jobs—which is remarkable, in my view—despite having been driven to those poor practices and without a clear future for the yard prior to recent announcements. That said, the governance and management of those workers’ tasks have been very poor indeed, and it appears that we have built the ships twice. The logical sequencing of workbacks and processes was historically poorly thought out and poorly implemented. That has been and will be our main challenge with Glen Rosa until its delivery.We seek to dismantle those poor practices and implement new ones, while keeping the processes and tasks clear for the workforce. With the appointment of a new senior management team, I have seen considerable changes in the yard and much improvement. However, decades-old problems and neglect of support for commercial shipbuilding in the United Kingdom cannot be repaired in months—it will take years.There is a shortage of trained and experienced workers and subcontractors in the shipbuilding business environment in general. Across the UK, the shipbuilding sector has brought in a considerable amount of foreign labour to compensate for that. Ferguson’s shipyard, however, remains committed to training and developing the young people of Inverclyde and beyond.The processes and the on-board build management for Glen Rosa have improved a great deal in recent months, but we remain in recovery mode for the build, with a hull that has been in the water for too long and machinery that has been dormant in the vessel that should have been commissioned a long time ago.That said, we are getting over those challenges. We are powering up the switchboards as we speak, and we are close to full engine commissioning as per the recent schedule, so the last of that long-term legacy is being overcome. We look forward to delivery in the fourth quarter of this year as we move into our modernisation programme.We also look forward to working on the new vessel projects that were recently announced in the Parliament. We will turn FMPG into an efficient and profitable shipyard that supports both the local community and the resurgence of commercial shipbuilding in Scotland, and into a business that people can be proud of again.Thank you for the opportunity to make that statement, convener. Graeme Thomson, David Dishon and I are happy to answer any questions that the committee may have.

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee 10 March 2026 [Draft]

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