Ferry yard Ferguson Marine sack their chief executive

The state-owned-company behind the two long-delayed and over budget ferries set for the Ardrossan to Brodick route made the announcement this morning.

The yard confirmed that experienced shipbuilder John Petticrew will replace Mr Tydeman as interim CEO. 

The company has also made several senior appointments as its board moves forward with its plans to 'strengthen the economic sustainability of the yard'.

A new role of chief operations officer has been established to support the delivery of the board’s business plan.

The reasons for Mr Tydeman's sudden departure were not immediately made clear.

The chairman of the Ferguson Marine board said "strong leadership" was needed to ensure the shipyard's future.

David Tydeman (Image: George Munro)

Mr Tydeman had recently sought to highlight progress on the first vessel, Glen Sannox, praising its performance in sea trials earlier this year.

But the construction of the ferry meant it could not operate out of Ardrossan  - the main port to Brodick - without a massive redevelopment of the mainland harbour.

Years after the blunder was first revealed, the Ardrossan harbour redevelopment has yet to be green-lit by the Scottish Government.

The main Arran ferry will have to operate out of Troon if or when the harbour work is carried out, meaning longer journeys for those on board the new ferries.

It will also mean mainland transport problems for travellers as there's no direct rail link from Troon harbour.

It emerged last month that costs for the Glen Sannox would rise to between £145.5 million and £149.1 million, while the Glen Rosa will be delivered "no later than" September 2025.

Under the latest estimates, the work to build the two ferries will be around triple the first price of £97 million and they will be handed over to CalMac six years late.

Board chairman Andrew Miller said: "Ferguson Marine needs strong leadership to ensure its long-term future. The board recognised that action needed to be taken to restructure the current leadership team and it has taken these steps to address this.

"Our focus is on the completion of Glen Sannox and hull 802 (Glen Rosa), and the implementation of a robust business plan to improve the commercial viability of Ferguson Marine.

"With this new senior management team in place and a full complement of board members, we have the breadth and depth of experience and capability to drive forward these plans."

Mr Tydeman joined the Port Glasgow shipyard in 2022, having previously run a yacht-building company.