Scottish shipbuilder Ferguson Marine has rescheduled the delivery of the second of two Ro-Pax ferries ordered by Scottish Government-owned corporation Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL).
The delivery of Glen Rosa has now been tentatively moved to April 2026, nearly eight years after its original scheduled hand-over to CMAL subsidiary Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) in 2018.
Ferguson Marine said the vessel's cost has increased by around £35 million (US$46 million) to over £460 million (US$610 million), or four-and-a-half times its initial contract price.
The shipyard assured that the ferry will be "substantially complete" by April next year.
Glen Rosa is presently due to undergo outfitting work, which would also entail installation of some of the key components of its LNG propulsion system.
Sister ship Glen Sannox had also been considerably delayed. The earlier ferry was delivered late last year instead of in 2018 as had originally been planned.
Glen Sannox's procurement and construction have been marred by issues such as cost overruns and the vessel's failure to satisfy design requirements, thus resulting in the series of delays.
Even after the ferry was finally delivered, a number of technical issues forced CalMac to delay its initial operational sailing by one week in January.
Two months later, the vessel was temporarily stood down after it suffered a hull crack that caused a, "very small amount of water," to enter the stern near its steering gear.
In a recent interview with BBC Scotland News, Ferguson Marine Chief Executive Graeme Thomson said the yard focused its efforts on completing Glen Sannox in 2024, forcing the company to divert significant resources that were being used in the construction of Glen Rosa.
Mr Thomson has apologised on behalf of Ferguson Marine to the many passengers who will be affected by the delay of Glen Rosa's delivery.