SNP ferries fiasco ...  £150m vessel already needs new parts and they're being taken off the other delayed ship

The SNP’s beleagured ferries task descended into farce past nighttime aft it emerged that 1 of their caller £150m vessels already needs caller parts.

And, astonishingly, shipyard workers person had to cannibalised the captious parts from their OTHER caller much-delayed and implicit fund ferry.

The Mail connected Sunday tin uncover that worn oregon malfunctioning sections of MV Glen Sannox, which has been sitting successful the h2o for SEVEN years awaiting completion, are being replaced by parts from sister vessel MV Glen Rosa, which itself is FIVE years late.

It is the latest shambles to deed the task to physique the 2 ferries which are present a 4th of a cardinal pounds implicit budget.

With the revelation that components are present being removed from the Glen Rosa, experts said it raised a question implicit whether that vas whitethorn ever participate work - and whether it should present alternatively beryllium abandoned.

It’s understood that the parts moved from 1 ferry to the different see the likes of cables and pipes.

Project insiders yesterday claimed this was a ‘remarkable’ move.

Last twelvemonth the Mail connected Sunday revealed that the Glen Sannox had a been sitting idle successful the h2o for truthful agelong that its main propeller shaft had ‘rusted up’. The occupation required remedial enactment astatine a adjacent adust dock successful Greenock.

Ferguson Marine, which was nationalised by the SNP successful 2019, assertion that the latest improvement implicit transferring parts volition not person immoderate knock-on effect connected transportation of either vessel, a assertion described arsenic ‘hard to believe’ by critics.

Scottish Conservative shadiness transport caput Sue Webber MSP said: ‘Just erstwhile you deliberation the SNP’s ferries ungraded can’t get immoderate worse, you’re proved wrong.

‘If it wasn’t truthful serious, it would beryllium laughable. Ripping retired parts of Glen Rosa to regenerate those connected Glen Sannox, is robbing Peter to wage Paul. It’s hard to judge Ferguson Marine’s assertion that this won’t dilatory down the completion of Glen Rosa, but it seems their lone precedence is preventing immoderate further hold-up connected Glen Sannox, which is already astir 7 years late.

‘Scotland’s betrayed islanders are sick of the endless delays, incompetence, and excuses which SNP ministers person presided over, portion taxpayers are carrying the tin for the ever-spiralling costs.

‘This is simply a premier illustration of wherefore Scots are sick of politicians astatine Holyrood. Rather than obsessing implicit fringe issues, SNP ministers should absorption their attraction connected delivering these ferries arsenic promised.’

Emeritus Professor Keith Hartley, an economist and procurement adept astatine the University of York, who gave grounds successful 2022 connected nationalist shipbuilding strategy to the UK Parliament’s Scottish affairs committee, said: ‘This sounds similar the latest improvement successful what is present a full fiasco.

‘These ferries are massively implicit fund and years delayed and this raises questions implicit whether it is really worthy proceeding with the 2nd ferry. At what constituent bash you statesman to inquire if it volition ever beryllium delivered?’

The ferries were commissioned to service the captious Ardrossan to Arran way and their hold has led to terrible knock-on impacts connected islanders and Arran’s economy.

Work connected some ferries began successful 2016 with the Glen Sannox launched amid overmuch fanfare by past First Minister Nicola Sturgeon successful November the pursuing year.

It aboriginal transpired that fake windows had been painted connected to springiness the content the ferry was further connected successful its improvement than was really the case, and some vessels person been beset by occupation aft occupation ever since.

Glen Sannox was owed to participate work successful 2018 and underwent further oversea trials this period which were astatine 1 constituent halted.

The ferry is stil undergoing enactment with a definite transportation day yet to beryllium announced. There is nary day for erstwhile Glen Rosa whitethorn beryllium delivered.

We told this twelvemonth however LNG for the vessels’ alleged ‘green’ duel-fuel engines, the complexity of which person been successful portion blamed for their delays, volition apt person to beryllium imported thousands of miles from the Middle East via oversea and roadworthy arsenic ‘bunkering’ facilities to store it astatine Ardrossan are unbuilt.

A Ferguson Marine spokeswoman said: ‘Some parts person been taken from MV Glen Rosa for usage connected MV Glen Sannox.

‘Given we are owed to handover Glen Sannox soon, this is simply a quicker attack than ordering replacement parts oregon fixing them. It volition not hold the transportation of Glen Rosa.’