SCOTS vessel, Hull 802, will be named MV Glen Rosa following a landslide win in a public vote.
The ship will play a vital role in providing a fully flexible year-round service for the isle of Arran.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) announced the new name following a public vote which saw nearly 5,000 entries and ran over three weeks.
MV Glen Rosa, which will be known as Gleann Ruasaidh in Gaelic, was the most popular name, garnering 52% of the votes.
MV Glen Rosa, along with sister vessel MV Glen Sannox, is currently under construction in Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow).
MV Glen Rosa will be one of six new major vessels due to join the CMAL fleet before the end of 2025, following a commitment of £695m from the Scottish Government for the years 2021- 2026.
CMAL owns 26 harbours on the west coast of Scotland, as well as 37 ferries – two of which are leased to CalMac Ferries Ltd on routes to the west islands and penninsulas.
The 102-metre dual fuel ferries will be able to operate on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine diesel.
LNG is significantly cleaner and has been adopted by ferry operators in Northern Europe in response to tighter emissions regulations.
The ships are designed to carry 127 cars or 16 HGVs, or a combination of both.
According to the recent update to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport committee from Ferguson Marine, MV Glen Rosa is due to launch in March 2024.
Kevin Hobbs, Chief Executive of CMAL said: “The public’s response to the naming of Hull 802 has been fantastic to see”.
“Though we are disappointed in the delay to launching the vessel, we understand that the priority is ensuring that the newly named MV Glen Rosa achieves Maritime and Coastguard (MCA) approval.
“We continue to work closely with the team at Ferguson Marine and can see great progress being made towards the delivery of both MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa.”
Robbie Drummond, Chief Executive of CalMac, said: “We are very much looking forward to MV Glen Rosa and MV Glen Sannox joining our fleet.
“These vessels will provide much-needed resilience to the Arran community, and to the network as a whole.”
