Scottish transport company Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) has again temporarily removed its new Ro-Pax ferry Glen Sannox from service due to hull cracking issues.
Earlier this month, CalMac discovered a crack in the same area near the waterline where a hairline crack was found last March.
The earlier crack had caused a "very small amount of water" to enter the vessel's stern near its steering gear, according to the company. The ferry was then taken out of service to undergo repairs and resumed operational sailings shortly afterwards.
Local newspaper The Herald has reported that the cracks had been caused by yet-unresolved excessive vibration issues with the ferry's propulsion system.
Glen Sannox has been pulled from service while CalMac conducts discussions with engineering experts regarding an adequate solution to the identified issues. The ferry is tentatively scheduled to resume sailings on Monday, October 13.
The hull crack is the latest in a series of issues to affect Glen Sannox, which was originally scheduled to enter service with CalMac in 2018 but was only delivered in late 2024 following completion at local shipyard Ferguson Marine.
The ferry's maiden operational voyage in January also needed to be postponed due to issues with some of its onboard systems.
