Bosses at a Scottish Government-owned shipyard on the Clyde have confirmed yet more delays in finishing two long-awaited ferries.
The Glen Sannox was supposed to enter service in the summer of 2018 but it was announced today it will take until spring 2023 before the vessel is completed after another fault was detected.
A second ferry - which is yet to be named - will now not enter service until the winter of next year.
The contract for building the two new ferries was handed to Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow in 2015 despite fears from public officials that it did not represent good value for money.
Construction has been plagued by problems from the start and led to the yard being plunged into administration in 2019 before the business was rescued by SNP ministers.
An official investigation by Audit Scotland published today found the vessels will now cost at least £240 million - more than double their original price.
And just hours after the report was made public bosses at Ferguson Marine confirmed yet more delays in the construction of the ferries.
In a letter to Tory MSP Dean Lockhart, the shipyard blamed rising costs on "increases in labour hours, increases in materials and overhead recovery costs due to the extended timeline".
It added: "The programme for vessel 801 (the Glen Sannox) has suffered from its stop/start build programme over the last five years since it first started.
"Structural blocks/modules, masts, funnels, internal pipework, major equipment, and electrical cabling were all installed in a far from ideal sequence as design conflicts and challenges were dealt with through the early stages prior to public ownership."
Bosses also blamed repeated lockdowns caused by covid for further delays in construction.
Finance secretary Kate Forbes told MSPs: "I reiterate today that there are no ifs, no buts - those vessels must be completed.
"And they must be completed as quickly and as effectively as possible.
"The board at Ferguson Marine know where I stand on this issue. They expect to be held to account for delivery of these critical ferries in line with the new schedule they have communicated today."
Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson called for a public inquiry to get to the bottom of the shambles at the Port Glasgow yard.
He said: "Scotland’s island communities have suffered enough as a result of the SNP’s epic incompetence.
"The very least they – and all Scottish taxpayers – deserve is a full, independent public inquiry into the SNP’s ferries fiasco.
"Audit Scotland’s report is damning in its criticism of SNP ministers – not least on why they ignored warnings about the financial risk in awarding the contract to Ferguson Marine to build these two ferries in the first place.
"There is no end in sight to this shambles.
"One report this week estimated that these ferries could eventually cost £400 million – more than four times the original £97 million figure – and that it could take nigh on a decade from the contract first being advertised to the vessels finally being ready to take passengers. That’s simply unacceptable.
"The latest in this litany of disasters was the discovery that cables installed were too short and had to be ripped out. No one has accepted blame for that – or, indeed, for anything in this whole debacle.
"Ministers and others senior figures have moved on but nobody’s head has rolled. There is no accountability - not just at Ferguson Marine, but in the entire ferry system and, especially, in Government."
Neil Bibby, Scottish Labour transport spokesman, said: "The SNP are rehashing the same old tough talk yet again, but the ship has sailed on their excuses.
"Year after year islanders have been promised results, but their best chance seeing a new ferry this year is going on holiday to Marmaris.
"With rising costs and yet more delays confirmed once again, it is time for this government to stop deflecting and stop passing the buck.
"If today’s promises are more than empty words, someone in the government must take responsibility for fixing the mess they have created.
"Since the finance secretary has refused to stake her position on this then responsibility falls to the First Minister, who has been the one constant through this sorry affair."
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