The completion of the first of two long-delayed CalMac ferries by the shipyard's revised date of September will be “challenging”, with Covid cases likely to cause “significant” disruption this month, a Ferguson Marine chief has told MSPs.
The Port Glasgow shipyard said the latest delivery date for Glen Sannox, earmarked for the main Arran route, remained between July 25 and September 25 – four years late.
But its turnaround director Tim Hair said in a report published today that was “achievable, but remains challenging”, and a planned increase in production in January and February was “critical to the achievement of this delivery schedule”.
He warned cases of the Omicron variant were increasing among staff, leading to more self-isolation.
Mr Hair said: “It seems likely that we will experience significant disruption in January and that, in turn, might result in lost productivity.
The Scotsman has more on the development.