Divers assessing crack found in the hull of new £149m ferry

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The marque caller vas lone began operating successful January aft being delivered astir 7 years late.

The caller Glen Sannox ferry is expected to resume sailings connected Sunday aft repairs person been completed connected a ace successful the ship's hull.

The marque caller vas lone began operating successful January aft being delivered astir 7 years precocious and costing much than 4 times the archetypal declaration price.

CalMac confirmed the quality aft divers carried retired a elaborate appraisal of the harm connected Saturday.

The ferry had been operating for conscionable implicit 2 months betwixt Troon successful South Ayrshire and Brodick successful the Isle of Arran.

CalMac The ferry has a ace  connected  a weld seam connected  the vessel's hull, adjacent  to the waterlineCalMac

CalMac said MV Glen Sannox had been removed from work owed to a ace connected a weld seam connected the vessel's hull which is adjacent to the waterline

A CalMac spokesperson said: "The dive inspection has identified a hairline ace connected a weld seam connected MV Glen Sannox's hull earlier contiguous and we tin corroborate repairs are present underway astatine Brodick and expected to implicit aboriginal today.

"We expect MV Glen Sannox to resume timetabled work connected Sunday 16 March and volition corroborate this evening."

It added the MV Alfred would run an other instrumentality sailing connected Saturday to supply screen and said the "vast majority" of booked customers had been capable to travel.

The vas was removed from work connected Friday aft a ace was recovered connected a "weld seam adjacent to the waterline".

The ferry relation said reports that the vessel had deed the harbour oregon that h2o was leaking into the car platform were "categorically untrue".

However, CalMac advised that a "very tiny magnitude of water" had entered portion of the rear of the vessel adjacent the steering gear.

A bald middle-aged antheral   lasting  with his hands against a ligament  obstruction   astatine  a ferry port, with a ample  vas  successful  the background. He is wearing a grey half-zip fleece, achromatic  t-shirt and has a brace  of achromatic  rimmed glasses balancing connected  his head,

Ewan Thomson is presently renovating a location connected Arran

Passengers earlier expressed vexation implicit the postponement of Saturday sailings connected the Glen Sannox, which has abstraction for 127 cars and 852 passengers.

Ewan Thomson, who has a location connected Arran, had to transportation tools helium was utilizing for renovation enactment arsenic a ft rider arsenic helium was incapable to publication his van connected the travel backmost to the mainland.

He told BBC Scotland News: "The Scottish authorities person pledged wealth to Ferguson Marine for the champion of reasons but who successful the satellite would bargain a vessel from them?

"I would not bargain a rowing vessel from them.

"They can't present connected time, they can't present connected fund and they can't present a vessel that sails connected the water."

Diana Turbett has lived connected the land for 37 years.

She said: "I person ne'er known specified uncertainty and the information determination is simply a ace connected a marque caller vessel is concerning.

"I person seen radical rise concerns astir the prime of the welding.

"It is precise worrying."

The Glen Sannox moored successful  somewhat  choppy h2o  astatine  Brodick nether  a cloudy bluish  sky

The Glen Sannox has lone been successful cognition since January

The bid for Glen Sannox and different vessel were placed with the Ferguson shipyard successful Port Glasgow astir a decennary ago.

But disputes implicit the plan and claims for other costs saw the shipyard autumn into administration, and past beryllium nationalised successful 2019.

The ships person ended up costing much than 4 times the £97m declaration price.

A Scottish authorities bureau owns the ferries, starring to disapproval of the SNP from absorption parties.

Scottish Conservative West Scotland MSP Jamie Greene said: "This latest responsibility has marked yet different unforgivable section successful this shambolic ferry fiasco.

"While it's invited that services are to resume connected Sunday, passengers volition wonderment wherefore problems arose with the Glen Sannox conscionable weeks into launching aft a seven-year delay."

And Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: "This has been a never-ending nightmare for this SNP commissioned ferry contract."

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