Enters dry dock
The Glen Sannox enters the Dale Marine dry dock, a short distance down thr river from Port Glasgow, for remedial work. The ship will have its bulbous bow replaced, paint will be repaired and marine growth will be removed. The ship is due to return to the Ferguson yard at the end of August. Turnaround director Hair:
This is a key milestone in the recovery programme for the dual fuel vessels. Some work has been carried out on MV Glen Sannox at the shipyard, but the dry dock period is important because it will bring the vessel up to a condition that will allow us to move forward in earnest with the vessel completion plan. It is also another clear sign of recovery for the shipyard business and comes only weeks after the launch of a steel barge for a customer in the offshore oil and marine sector.
Dry dock repair works completed
The ferry returns to the water after dry dock works are completed. 42 tonnes of mussels were removed from the hull, its bulbous bow replaced, paint repaired, and external welding completed. Hair:
Following a period of uncertainty due to COVID-19, it has been really gratifying to see our team return to outdoor working on MV Glen Sannox. We’ve made some solid strides forward over the last few weeks on MV Glen Sannox and have slightly extended the dry dock period to take advantage of the stability of the vessel whilst stationed there to carry out some additional tasks. Now that the ferry has been brought up to its current condition and has returned to our shipyard, the next steps will include work on the superstructure, electrical work and the installation of approximately 16km of pipework.
Shipyard to recruit 120 extra workers
Ferguson Marine announces it is hiring 120 extra staff, mostly pipe fitters and steel workers. The extra workers will mean the shipyard can be in production seven days a week during spring and summer and will bring total number of staff to more than 500. The new workers will be working on MV Glen Sannox and hull 802 for at least six months. Turnaround Director Hair:
Last year was challenging, with disruption created by the pandemic, but we’re confident we can increase momentum in 2021. We are confident, despite many challenges, 2021 will be a pivotal year in securing the long-term future of the shipyard. We must do everything possible to deliver the dual fuel ferry programme, improve productivity, secure contracts for future vessels, and protect local jobs.
Pandemic shutdowns add £4.3 million costs
An extra £4.3m in costs have been added to the cost of the MV Glen Sannox and it sister ship. The Port Glasgow shipyard had to suspend working for four months during the first lockdown and was closed for another four weeks earlier this year. The shutdowns cost £3.3m and £1m respectively.
Tunaround director, Tim Hair, says the Covid shutdowns were being treated as “exceptional costs”, but the previously-announced remedial work, costing £110m-£114m, remained within budget. Hair said that 80% of design work was now signed-off by regulators and that the latest delivery schedule of April to June 2022 for Glen Sannox, and December 2022 to February 2023 for the second ship, was still achievable. Hair says the yard should be able to take on new work from next spring.
To date, 191 applications have been received for skilled workers, with 40 so far identified as having the relevant skills.
Delivery date slips by 15 weeks
Ferguson Marine says the Glen Sannox will now be handed over between July and September 2022 – 15 weeks later than expected. The ship, destined for the Arran route, was originally due to enter service in 2018/19. The nationalised shipyard says Covid disruption and a shortage of local skilled labour were to blame. The comapny says it said it had only been able to recruit 40 skilled workers locally, 100 short of its target – and was now having to recruit overseas workers, via sub-contractors. The second ship, currently known as Hull 802, will be delivered between April and July 2023, according to the latest schedule. Turnaround director, Tim Hair:
I know the further delay to the project will be a disappointment to island communities and others who await the arrival of the new ferries. There remains a lot of work to do on the vessels, but it is important to recognise the level of progress too, as well as the significant operational improvements we have implemented to introduce robust and effective business processes. We have, in effect, created a functioning shipyard business from a standing start.
Hair: Shipyard turnaround ‘most challenging in UK’
0 0 Mark Devlin Mark Devlin2022-01-31 16:31:412022-01-31 16:32:35Hair: Shipyard turnaround ‘most challenging in UK’Ferguson’s: Hair to step down
Ferguson’s announces, that after two years at the company, Hair will step down as turnaround director. He spent two years as turnaround director. He will be replaced by Tydeman in February. Chairman Alistair Mackenzie:
[It is] the right time to welcome a permanent and longer-term leader…The board and wider team at Ferguson Marine extend our thanks to Tim Hair for his leadership, expertise and commitment over the past two years. It has been challenging, not least because of a global pandemic, but he has implemented a series of important changes, systems and controls and built an experienced and skilled team to strengthen the business and establish a solid footing for growth.
Short cable replacement delays ferries
In a letter to Lockhart, convenor the Scottish Government’s Net Zero committee, Ferguson Marine’s turnaround director says that in the week before Christmas 2021, engineers unwound coils that had been installed in late 2018/early 2019 and found some of them were too short to reach the necessary equipment. After three weeks of investigation, Ferguson engineers believe that at least 400 cables will need to be addressed, with the worst case requiring 939 cables to be replaced. The faulty cables were installed by a sub-contractor before the shipyard went into administration – none of the cables were installed after the Scottish Government took control of the yard. Most or all the vables will need to be cut out and the process started again. Hair says it is not currently possible to determine the impact on schedule and cost of the problem. Hair:
I regret to advise you that a problem has recently emerged with the build of 801 which I thought I should immediately bring to your attention. Commissioning and further cable installation cannot take place until the legacy cables are corrected, delaying the overall project to deliver 801. There will inevitably be knock-on effects that will delay the schedule for 802. At present it is not possible to determine the impact on schedule and cost.
Ferries three years overdue, £110m cost overrun predicted
The ferries are now three years overdue, less than half built and are predicted to cost £110 million more than originally estimated. Hair says that the ships are “significantly less than half built” and that 95% of the ships design has not been agreed with CMAL more than four years after the ships were ordered. He said that more naval architects and engineers have been taken on to deal with this. The shipyards executive said that the planning process for changes to the design under the yards prior to nationalisation was “either absent or badly flawed”:
The number of £110m [the extra money needed to finish the project] has been arrived at from a very detailed examination of the two vessels and an understanding of the work that needs to be done in order to bring them up to a viable standard.It is a very significant number but it is a number that has been based on as rigorous an assessment as we’ve been able to carry out. It’s one where I am confident we can deliver the two vessels for that amount.
Committee member and Tory MSP Peter Chapman said people would find the situation “absolutely incredible”.
How the heck do you get to £110m, which is more than what the original cost was to start from scratch with a pile of steel and nothing?