The CalMac ferry crew that’s still without a ship

By Brian Wilson
Published 17th May 2024, 13:20 BST
The Glen Sannox heading out for sea trials. She has been hit by further delays and it now transpires a crew has been in place for two years. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)The Glen Sannox heading out for sea trials. She has been hit by further delays and it now transpires a crew has been in place for two years. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The Glen Sannox heading out for sea trials. She has been hit by further delays and it now transpires a crew has been in place for two years. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
​False information about progress on the MV Glen Sannox at Port Glasgow led to Caledonian MacBrayne spending £3.5 million on crewing a vessel that has yet to sail.

​Delivery of two ferries from the Ferguson yard is now six years behind schedule and a major contributory factor in disruption throughout the CalMac network at huge cost to the Western Isles.

The latest revelations, published in the Sunday Mail, confirm the extent to which MSPs and CalMac were misled by the information provided to them. This led to the wildly premature appointment of masters and crew for a ferry that was nowhere near ready to sail.

Fourteen CalMac personnel, including three skippers, have been employed for more than two years after MSPs were told in February 2022 that the Glen Sannox would be completed within six months.

This assurance was provided at the point where the previous “turnaround director” at the Ferguson yard, Tim Hair, departed, having clocked up £2 million in consultancy fees. He was replaced by David Tydeman who was sacked last month.

Many believe that Mr Tydeman was removed for telling the truth about the state of the vessels, in contrast to the previous history of misinformation which repeatedly under-stated the scale of costs and delays.

Mr Tydeman has said his dismissal came “out of the blue” and he was proud of his record at the Ferguson yard.

He told The Scotsman: “I believe I have delivered the three things I was asked to do – solve the engineering, get some senior people in place [as successors] and put a plan on the table [for the yard’s future]”.

The view Mr Tydeman was “sacked for telling the truth” was backed by the chief executive of CMAL, Kevin Hobbs, who said: “David Tydeman was an honest guy who just said it as it was. Whether or not it was palatable – that didn’t really worry him. There was a lot of talk that the ships couldn’t be further delayed, but they will be finished when they’re finished”.

Normal procedure is for senior crew to be hired six months prior to a ferry being handed over.

Acting CalMac chief executive, Duncan Mackison, confirmed that “three masters and 11 engineers joined CalMac in February 2022 at a time when MV Glen Sannox was scheduled to be delivered in July 2022”.

He continued: “An additional five officer roles were filled in November 2023 at a time when delivery was expected between March and May 2024. Senior crew members for any new vessel are required to attend the yard where the vessel is being built”.

The Glen Sannox began sea trials earlier this year but delivery was again delayed and she will not be available on the busy Arran run throughout the summer season, contributing to ongoing costs and disruption elsewhere in the network.

The second ferry, now named the Glen Rosa, was originally intended for the Uig-Tarbert-Lochmaddy routes and terminals were constructed at huge cost. However, that plan has been abandoned and she too will sail on the 55 minute Arran route – with crew accommodation of 38 cabins.