New Arran ferry MV Glen Rosa to be launched next week

The MV Glen Rosa - previously known as hull 802 - will be launched from the Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow on Tuesday, April 9.

The ferry and its sister vessel, MV Glen Sannox, have been a running political sore for the Scottish Government and the publicly-owned yard, with repeated delays and cost overruns running into multiple hundreds of millions of pounds.

In attendance at the launch will be wellbeing economy secretary Mairi McAllan, the yard's interim chief executive John Petticrew, and Kevin Hobbs, the head of Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) - the publicly-backed owner of the ferry.

The ferry will need to undergo trials before its handover from Ferguson to CMAL, which is expected in September, though it's not expected to enter service until 2025.

The former head of the shipyard, David Tydeman, was sacked last month over "performance-related issues", as further delays to the ferries were expected.

Shipyard workers at Ferguson Marine put the finishing touches to MV Glen Rosa before the hull's launch on April 9 (Image: Stephen Lipton)

Under questioning at the Scottish Parliament last week, Ms McAllan was unable to say how long the delays are expected to be.

Following the firing of Mr Tydeman, the chief executive of state-owned ferry operator CalMac, Robbie Drummond, left his job with immediate effect.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said ministers did not order the sackings.

He told the PA news agency on Thursday: "These are independent decisions by the board. Let's be clear - both Mairi and I have been very clear with boards, be it the board of Fergusons, be it our colleagues at CMAL or CalMac, that we expect delivery.

"We expect there to be a laser-like focus on delivery for our island communities."

He said he has full confidence in Mr Hobbs, the current head of CMAL.

Mr Yousaf added: "Any decisions around the management are for the board of these organisations to make.

"Our direction - from myself, from Mairi McAllan and the Transport Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop - is very clear.

"Focused on delivery, and that's really crucial not just for the Government and for the organisations involved, but importantly for the island communities we seek to serve."

MV Glen Rosa's hull at Ferguson Marine - before its launch date was pushed back from March 12 to April 9 (Image: Newsquest)

The Glen Rosa, before it was named, had originally been earmarked for service in the Outer Hebrides, before CMAL and CalMac had a rethink and decided it would operate alongside the Glen Sannox on the Arran route.

The Glen Sannox was launched from the Ferguson yard in November 2017. 

It recently underwent its first sea trials, but isn't expected to enter service until later this year.

However, neither vessel will be able to operate to or from Ardrossan unless and until major upgrade works are carried out at the North Ayrshire terminal.

That upgrade work was promised by Mr Yousaf when he was Scotland's transport minister, but was called in by the Scottish Government for a review last summer amid concern at the rising cost of the project.

The results of that review were originally due before Christmas, but still haven't been made public.

Until the Ardrossan upgrade is complete, both the Glen Rosa and the Glen Sannox will have to sail between Brodick and Troon, with extended journey times and fewer crossings each day for passengers as a result.