They will join the company’s River Clyde passenger and vehicle services between Gourock and Dunoon next month.Įach ferry can carry 54 cars and are an enlarged version of Western Ferries’ current Sound of Shuna, which carries 45 cars.ĭavid Williams, Cammell Laird business development director, said: “The launch has gone fantastically well. The two ships have been ordered by Western Ferries, of Scotland, in what is believed to be a £7m contract. Sold to Canada in 2001, she is now HMCS Windsor. These are the first two new complete ships to be built at the yard since the submarine HMS Unicorn was launched in 1992, and commissioned into the Royal Navy in June 1993. It is expected the two ferries will remain at Birkenhead for a further two weeks or so to be finished and during their trials in Liverpool Bay. Sound of Soay was craned into the river at 10.30am today at high tide.Īs soon as the required 2.1m depth for the ferry to float was achieved, a pair of tugs moved her into Laird’s Wet Basin for fitting out. Her sister ship, MV Sound of Seil, is due to be launched similarly on Thursday. With no public fanfare and minimal fuss, the ferry MV Sound of Soay was moved from Laird’s Construction Halls and lifted from the shipway into the river. The first complete ship to be built in 20 years at Cammell Laird Shipyard has been launched into the Mersey.

Sound of seil