THE interim chief executive of the embattled Ferguson Marine shipyard has resigned.
John Petticrew will return to Canada after quitting for “personal reasons”, the yard said in a statement on Thursday.
Chief financial officer David Dishon said the shipyard remained focused on delivering the delayed Glen Rosa ferry “as quickly and as efficiently as possible”.
He said: “John Petticrew has resigned as interim CEO of Ferguson Marine for personal reasons and will shortly return to his home to be with his family in Canada.
“John has had a demonstrable impact on our business and the board wants to thank him for his contribution over the last four years both as interim CEO and non-executive director prior to that. We wish him the very best for the future.
“We remain focused on securing a sustainable and prosperous future for the yard and are in very close [sic] to announcing a permanent CEO to replace John Petticrew.
“We look forward to providing more detail on this very soon. In the meantime, we remain focused on our key priorities, to secure the future of the yard and deliver MV Glen Rosa as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”
The Glen Rosa's sister ship, the Glen Sannox, entered service in January.
The ferry should have launched in 2018 under the original schedule, but the vessel endured a saga of delays and technical problems. The total cost of both vessels approaches £400 million – more than four times the initial £97m figure.
The Glen Sannox was the first ferry to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be built in the UK. The fuel system presents difficulties as it may explode if in contact with water.
Last month, a report from Ferguson Marine acknowledged “uncertainty” around the level of government support the state-owned shipyard needs to maintain its operations and continue as a “going concern”.
The Scottish Government gave the shipyard a “letter of comfort” which offers support for a year-long period following the approval of the annual accounts.
The Scottish Government gave the shipyard a “letter of comfort” which offers support for a year-long period following the approval of the annual accounts.
Petticrew said at the time: “We are confident that, in partnership with the Scottish Government, we can secure a sustainable, long-term future for Ferguson Marine for the benefit of its workforce and the wider local community.
“We are actively exploring opportunities to secure more commercial work, including but not limited to the small vessel replacement programme and are hopeful that we will be successful in securing more work for the yard.
“In the meantime, Ferguson Marine remains focused on delivering MV Glen Rosa as quickly and efficiently as possible to support and serve Scotland’s important island communities.”
