The delivery of Arran's new ferry has been delayed yet again - this time by challenges related to the ship's fuel system.
MV Glen Sannox was finally supposed to be officially handed to ferry company CalMac by July 31, but Ferguson Marine have revealed they now expect to deliver it in the week beginning August 19.
Interim chief executive John Petticrew told MSPs that challenges linked to the ship's liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion system were the problem.
Glen Sannox and its sister ship Glen Rosa, which will also be used on the Arran route, are the first dual-fuel LNG ferries ever built by a UK shipyard.
They were originally due for delivery in 2018 but faced repeated design challenges and cost overruns.
CalMac said it may be able to absorb the delay into its own plans for eight weeks of crew familiarisation trials, so that the ship could still enter service in September.
Both ferries will be unable to operate from Ardrossan until a major redevelopment of the town's harbour is complete.
The Scottish Government is currently re-evaluating the cost of theharbour project, which was initially approved back in 2018.
If or when the harbour upgrade work begins, the Arran service will have to operate to and from Troon instead of Ardrossan.
The cost to complete the two long delayed ships now stands at at just under £300m.
The second Arran ship, Glen Rosa, was launched earlier this year and fitting out work is still expected to be complete by September 2025.
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