Boss of nationalised Ferguson shipyard resigns

The interim boss of the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard had resigned for "personal reasons".

John Petticrew had initially taken on the role for six months after the firm's board dismissed his predecessor a year ago, but had agreed to stay on until Easter.

Ferguson Marine, based in Port Glasgow, said it was close to announcing a permanent chief executive to replace him.

In a statement it said Mr Petticrew would shortly return to his home in Canada to be with his family, and thanked him for his "demonstrable impact" on the business.

Mr Petticrew, who grew up in nearby Greenock, was a member of the Ferguson Marine board of directors when it unexpectedly sacked chief executive David Tydeman last March, citing "performance" issues.

His predecessor had won praise for making progress with the long-delayed CalMac ferries MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, but found it difficult to accurately forecast delivery dates or final costs.

Under Mr Petticrew's stewardship, several more short delays were announced but Glen Sannox was finally delivered in November and went into service on CalMac's Arran route in January.

Ferguson's chief financial officer David Dishon thanked Mr Petticrew for his contribution both as interim chief executive and non-executive director, and wished him well for the future.

He added: "We remain focused on securing a sustainable and prosperous future for the yard and are very close to announcing a permanent CEO to replace John Petticrew.

"We look forward to providing more detail on this very soon. In the meantime, we remain focused on our key priorities, to secure the future of the yard and deliver MV Glen Rosa as quickly and as efficiently as possible."

Mr Petticrew recently told MSPs he would gladly take on the role of chief executive of Ferguson's on a permanent basis were it not for his family commitments in Canada.

The shipyard has been seeking a permanent replacement for some time, and had appointed a manager from another shipbuilding firm, but the candidate changed his mind and stayed with his employer.

The shipyard is continuing with fitting out work on the second CalMac ferry MV Glen Rosa with an update on delivery dates expected later this month.

The ferry had been due to be finished in September but Mr Petticrew said recently there was a risk of further delay.

Four new large ferries being built in Turkey have also been delayed further - adding to pressure on CalMac which is approaching the summer season with a shortage of vessels.

The Cemre shipyard blamed labour shortages and factors such as the war in Ukraine and the Turkish earthquake for the latest delay.

The first of the four vessels, MV Isle of Islay, will not arrive before July at the earliest.