ALBA warn that next week will see the last ever ferry launched in Lower Clyde without Government intervention

“Launches are joyous moments but this launch will be happening against the backdrop that unless the Scottish Government intervene with investment in the yard and guarantees that it will directly award new work to it, then this will be the last ever vessel launched in the lower Clyde - bringing to an end centuries of proud shipbuilding tradition in Inverclyde. That would be a tragedy."

Chris McEleny - General Secretary, Alba Party.

ALBA Party have warned that next week will see the last ever ship launched in the Lower Clyde if the Scottish Government does not intervene. 

The Glen Rosa is due to be launched on Tuesday and Alba Party’s General Secretary Chris McEleny has warned it could be the last ever ship to be launched into the lower Clyde if the Scottish Government doesn’t act. 

McEleny sat on the task force that saved the yard from closure in 2014 and has spent the past years campaigning for the Scottish Government to “directly award” contracts for Calmac Small vessels to the yard to ensure it has a future pipeline of work. 

Despite fears that without the work the yard will close the Scottish Government have failed to confirm it will directly award work to the Inverclyde yard. 

Alba say that with the Glen Sannox now on sea trials and sister ship the Glen Rosa being launched next week, without the award of public contracts issued by Government owned CMAL there will be no work left at the yard and it will face closure bringing to an end hundreds of years of shipbuilding tradition in the Inverclyde area. 

Commenting Alba Party General Secretary Chris McEleny said: 

"I say without fear or apology that when it comes to Scotland, Scotland’s ferries should be built in Scotland’s shipyards. 

"But time is now running out. If SNP politicians and the Scottish Government agree with me then they need to get off the fence. They simply cannot keep Ferguson’s open any longer with sound bites. There is no steel left to cut. There are no orders in the pipeline. There simply is not the work left to sustain a shipyard. The Glen Sannox is now out on trials. The Glen Rosa is now being launched. 

"Launches are supposed to be joyous moments but this launch will be happening against the backdrop that unless the Scottish Government intervene with investment in the yard and guarantees that it will directly award new work to it then this will be the last vessel ever launched in the lower Clyde - bringing to an end centuries of proud shipbuilding tradition in Inverclyde. That would be a tragedy. 

"If the Scottish Government does not directly award work to Ferguson’s, as opposed to sending more contracts overseas, the yard will close. That’ll be a devastating blow to the industrial capacity of the Clyde and as a result, our Commercial Shipbuilding that was destroyed by the Tories will finally come to an end on the SNP’s watch. That is simply not acceptable.

"If the Scottish Government do not make the decision to directly award the small vessels that are due to be put out to tender by CMAL directly to Ferguson’s then they should be under no illusion that it will be the political choice of the Scottish Government to see the gates of Ferguson’s Shipyard closed for good. I’m not willing to accept that, and I know the workers at the yard won’t either.” 

The yard gates will be open from 12.30pm, with Hull 802 scheduled to go down the slipway around 1.30pm. Access to the yard will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will be a naming ceremony with a celebratory bottle smash on the vessel and a blessing of the ship.

Once complete, the ferry — to be named MV Glen Rosa — will have capacity for up to 852 passengers plus 127 cars, or 16 heavy goods vehicles or a combination of both. She is due to be completed by September 2025.