So much for going green! Fuel for SNP's 'eco-ferries' has to be transported 8000 miles

The SNP’s delayed ferries have been hit by a new farce after it emerged that their special ‘green’ fuel must be imported 8,000 miles from Qatar then driven thousands more miles each year by road.

The vessels were designed with ‘dual-fuel’ engines which can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), designed to cut emissions, as well as conventional diesel.

However, eight years after work began on the ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, the Scottish Government says there is no clear date for when LNG tanks, known as a bunkering facility, will ever be built here.

As a result, LNG must be imported in diesel-powered ships from Qatar to a terminal in England and then driven 450 miles to Scotland.

It is feared that will lead to emissions far in excess of savings generated by the supposedly environmentally friendly engines.

The complex dual-fuel design has been cited as one of the main reasons behind the shambolic delivery of the vessels for the route from Ardrossan, Ayrshire, to Arran. 

Meanwhile, ongoing maintenance problems at Ardrossan mean that the ferries will likely operate initially from Troon, 15 miles south, again a port with no LNG facilities, meaning thousands of delivery road miles.

Ferry company CalMac has also identified potential problems with the transfer of LNG from tanker to ship, fearing road delays could spark daily timetable chaos.

Professor Keith Hartley, an economist at the University of York, who has provided evidence on national shipbuilding strategy to the UK Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee, described the ferries delivery as a ‘pantomime’.

He said: ‘This seems a further development in what is a complete fiasco. It calls into question the ships’ green credentials, given the emissions associated with vast sea and road journeys of tankers which will carry the LNG.’

Scottish Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: ‘LNG for these ferries will have to be shipped to the UK and then brought up by road.

‘LNG also emits methane, which is a greenhouse gas, so none of this is environmentally friendly.

‘Building ferries which use LNG has been the cause of delays and increased costs. It is disgraceful that islanders are the ones suffering in all of this.’

Begun in 2016, Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa have yet to enter service, five years after it was hoped both would be serving Arran.

LNG for the ferries will most likely come from Qatar, although UK supplies are also sourced from the US, Peru and Angola. 

The only UK LNG terminal which can fill road tankers is at the Isle of Grain, Kent, 450 miles from Troon.

Outlining further concerns, CalMac’s own notes on LNG state: ‘Truck to ship bunkering is not considered a sustainable solution which will meet the long term demands of the new ships. 

The typical transfer rate from a road tanker to receiving vessel is too slow, typically between two and 2.5 hours to decant 20 tons of liquid.

If tankers are required to meet the vessel during timetabled port calls, there would be a risk of delay if problems were encountered during transit.’

The ferries are already millions over budget, although both are now in the water, with Glen Rosa being launched last month. 

Glen Sannox is expected to be in service by the end of July and Glen Rosa in September next year.

The problems at Ardrossan have also sparked a row between port owner Peel and CalMac, which has accused Peel of failing to properly maintain the port, leading to Troon being used.

However, a Peel spokesman said: ‘We have invested millions of pounds at Ardrossan in recent years, some as a consequence of damage by CalMac vessels. 

We’ve also invested a further £2 million on the upgrade project and we are willing to spend even more if only the Scottish Government and CalMac would agree on the specification and the business case.’

Transport Scotland said the planned upgrade of Ardrossan harbour ‘includes an LNG facility’.