The MV Glen Rosa ferry, which is still being built, just got flooded. Not because of the sea or anything like that, but from plain old rainwater. Apparently, some parts of the funnels were taken off while they were doing work on the inside, but nobody sealed the openings properly. And then it rained. A lot. The rainwater just poured in and collected inside the vessel. I mean, you’d think someone would’ve seen that coming, especially with how often it rains in Scotland. The builders said they dried it all out and checked everything, but it’s just another thing to go wrong in a project that already feels cursed.
Delivery pushed again — and the price tag just keeps going up
Honestly, if you’ve been following the Glen Rosa story, this isn’t even shocking anymore. But yeah, the launch is now delayed again — they’re saying the ferry might not be ready until at least spring or early summer of 2026. That’s a good six to nine months later than what was last promised. And let’s not even get started on the money. The original cost was already massive, but now we’re talking about £185 million just for this one ferry. It's wild. Islanders who were hoping to see this boat in action soon are just left hanging again, which isn’t fair. These delays aren’t just annoying — they’re actually affecting real people who rely on these ferries to go about their lives.
Pressure building on Ferguson Marine and the government
The public is pretty tired of this now, and so are the politicians. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes is clearly fed up too — she’s called the situation unacceptable and now there's a weekly review group watching over the whole thing. Meanwhile, Ferguson Marine — the shipyard building Glen Rosa — just lost a big CalMac contract to a Polish company. That contract was for seven smaller ferries, and honestly, losing that might be a big blow for the yard. Critics are calling the whole ferry situation a disaster and questioning if the yard should even keep going. There’s frustration, there’s finger-pointing, and at the end of the day, no ferry is sailing yet.
