Glen Sannox ferry return delayed by anchor fault

The CalMac ferry MV Glen Sannox - which has been out of action for more than three months - has had its return date pushed back by a further week after a fault was discovered with its anchor mechanism.

The dual-fuel ship departed for annual maintenance in early November at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, and was initially expected back before Christmas.

But its return has been delayed by extra work, including steel strengthening to tackle a vibration problem.

CalMac said a damaged bearing had also been discovered in the anchor system during inspections, and the ship is now scheduled to resume sailings on the Arran route from Monday 2 March.

The latest delay was first reported by the Scotsman newspaper.

In order to speed up the repair, the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow has agreed to supply parts from the ship's sister vessel, MV Glen Rosa, rather than wait for them to be despatched from the equipment's manufacturer.

The firm said supplying the parts would assist CalMac and have no impact on the construction of Glen Rosa, which is currently due for delivery by the end of the year.

MV Glen Sannox entered service in January last year, more than six years later than expected, after a long history of design challenges and disputes between the shipyard's former owners and government-owned ferries agency CMAL.

The ship was well-received by ferry users but two months later a small crack in a weld near the rear of the ship saw it briefly pulled from service for a repair.

Investigations later established that the crack was linked to vibration.

The scheduled annual maintenance in November has been extended in order to strengthen the hull in the affected area, and CalMac has also been requesting other work to be completed under warranty.

The new problem was discovered during overhaul of the starboard windlass, which is used to deploy and recover the anchor.

A CalMac spokesperson said: "In recent testing, a damaged bearing was identified, and further inspection revealed the need to replace multiple components on the assembly."

Ferguson Marine, which is now state-owned, said it was working in partnership with CalMac and Cammell Laird to help them minimise the impact of further delays

Chief executive Graeme Thomson said: "To get Glen Sannox back into service sooner, we have offered to provide parts from MV Glen Rosa.

"This will speed up repairs and will have no impact on the cost and delivery timeline for Glen Rosa."