MV Glen Rosa

MV Glen Rosa (Gleann Ruasaidh) is a Scottish dual-fuel car and passenger ferry currently under construction at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde. She is expected to enter service with Caledonian MacBrayne on the Ardrossan to Brodick route, serving the Isle of Arran.

Known as Hull 802 during construction, the vessel was initially expected to enter service in 2019, however it has been the subject of an ongoing political scandal known as the "ferry fiasco" owing to increased costs and lengthy delays to her construction, which as of September 2023 have pushed its in-service date back to 2025.

The name Glen Rosa was chosen by public vote in August 2023.

History
Glen Rosa will be the second of two Scottish ferries capable of operating on either marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG), aiming at benefits of a marked reduction in carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions. The first steel for both ships was cut on 7 April 2016. The first ship, MV Glen Sannox (2017), was launched on 21 November 2017 by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

First expected launch
Glen Rosa was expected to be launched in 2018, and to enter service the following year. However, along with her sister ship, she has been the subject of increased costs and lengthy delays to her construction. Following delays to both ships and nationalisation of the shipyard, the second ferry was estimated in December 2019 to be delivered to CMAL in summer 2022. There were delays due to the pandemic and shortages of skilled labour, and in June 2021 delivery was rescheduled for April 2023 to July 2023. At the start of September 2021, installation of the bulbous bow, as well as stern sections, was reported as marking significant progress.

Additional delays
Further delays in early 2022 saw the delivery date slip to October–December 2023. The ship's delivery date was delayed again in September 2022 to the first quarter of 2024. As of August 2023, the expected launch date was March 2024, with the vessel due to enter service by the end of 2024. By the end of September 2023, however, Ferguson chief executive David Tydeman told the Scottish Government’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee that MV Glen Rosa had been further delayed and that its completion date had been pushed back from the end of 2024 to the end of May 2025.

Naming
A public poll was run in August 2023 to choose a name for the vessel, which had previously been referred to as "Hull 802", from a shortlist of Claymore, Glen Cloy and Glen Rosa. Glen Rosa was announced as the name on 31 August 2023, having been selected by 52% out of a total vote of nearly 5,000 entries.

Further delays
On 10 November 2023, it was announced that the launch date for Glen Rosa had been set as 12 March 2024, but this was later pushed back to 9 April following additional delays to Glen Sannox, which was fitted out at the shipyard's Newark Quay, and had begun sea trials on 13 February. It moved 1.3 mi downriver to Inchgreen quay, Greenock.

Official launch
The Glen Rosa was launched by Beth Atkinson, a qualified welder who had completed her apprenticeship at the yard the year prior.

Service
Glen Rosa was originally ordered to serve on the "Uig Triangle" routes, linking Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist with Uig on Skye. However in October 2022, CMAL ordered two new ferries for this route, named MV Claymore (2024) and MV Lochmor (2024), leading to uncertainty about where Glen Rosa would be deployed. In August 2023, CMAL confirmed that she would serve Arran, partnering MV Glen Sannox (2017), with both dual-fuel vessels allocated to the Ardrossan to Brodick route. The two new Arran ferries will initially operate between Troon and Brodick for the first two or three years of their careers, due to the planned upgrade works for Ardrossan harbour.