A FERRY being built at Ferguson's in Port Glasgow at a cost of almost £50m will be delivered more than a year late.

The construction of MV Glen Sannox - the first of two new 100-metre CalMac vessels - has been hampered and it emerged earlier this year that its bulbous bow would have to be replaced.

The vessel was initially due for completion in May but transport secretary, Michael Matheson, has now confirmed it will be delivered in summer 2019.

It is thought it will take a further two months to prepare the vessel to enter service on CalMac's Ardrossan-Brodick route - meaning the first paying passengers might not board the ferry until next autumn.

Work on Glen Sannox started in February 2016 and she was launched last November.

The vessel is being built for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) - the Scottish Government subsidiary responsible for ferries, ports and harbours in the west coast - as part of a £97m contract for two vessels.

A CMAL spokesperson said: "Ferguson Marine has provided a revised delivery schedule for the two dual fuel ferries currently under construction.

"The schedule is based on estimates by the team at Ferguson's.

"An updated schedule will be published in due course."

The second vessel was also due to be delivered this year - 'a few months' after the original completion date for Glen Sannox - but is now expected in by spring 2020.