MV Glen Rosa

This is an incredibly important and serious matter. It may be helpful for me to outline to the Parliament that the decision was a simple one: it was to ensure that the new propellors can be fitted. As part of the timeline associated with that, the liquefied natural gas will have to be commissioned only once, which will avoid the fuel systems having to be emptied and the new propellers then having to be fitted before the ship could be returned to service. The process will ensure that the Glen Rosa is operational more quickly and that it can provide the reliable services that islanders deserve.

I respond to the member’s question and the islanders’ concerns about resilience by noting that the MV Isle of Lewis will still be operational and there will still be resilience on the route. It is worth reminding the Parliament that, as well as the Glen Rosa, which is due to be out on the seas in the not-too-distant future, we have three vessels from Turkey that will be coming into service. We also have seven small vessel replacements, with the work taking place in Poland, and we have two new vessels that will increase tonnage for the northern isles. We are putting substantial capital investment into our various fleets because, ultimately, that is the only solution to the problems that we have encountered in recent years.

As Mr Rennie knows, when the gas leak was identified, actions were taken by CalMac to ensure the safety of the vessel. The works that were required for the Glen Sannox have been undertaken on the Glen Rosa as well, which is a positive step in the right direction. It has allowed us to mitigate any concerns that there may have been.

It is also worth outlining to the Parliament that, over the course of 1,644 sailings by the Glen Sannox, only 14 were missed. The vessel is delivering for the people in our island communities, and the Glen Rosa will do likewise.