In retrospect, the computerised boat in the movie Titanic looked more believable than the one Nicola Sturgeon stood in front of the day she ‘launched’ the Glen Sannox ferry, almost six years ago. With its famously painted on windows and oddly delicate looking bulbous bow – one of many parts subsequently replaced as it was found not to be fit for purpose – we can look back now and wonder who they were trying to kid with their fakery.

Historians might come to view that day as a microcosm of the SNP’s time in power. Children were bussed in and handed Saltire flags to wave and cheer as the ship went down the slipway, while Nicola Sturgeon assumed the role of head of state, hitting a button to release a bottle of champagne to smash against the boat’s side, with the words: ‘I name this ship Glen Sannox. May God bless her and all who sail in her.’ One of her aides must have Googled what the Queen says at these events so they could get it just right.

The SNP often like to quote the late Scottish author and devoted nationalist Alasdair Gray, who used the epigram: ‘Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.’ The launch of the Glen Sannox in late 2017 took this ‘fake it until you make it’ maxim to its most preposterous and comical pinnacle.

But governance by fakery has real costs. The launch triggered a ‘milestone payment’ of over £1 million to Ferguson Marine, with Audit Scotland subsequently finding that such remittances were not clearly defined and had no link to quality standards. Still, they got some great photos of children with Saltires standing in front of a big boat symbolising a nation on the rise.

Yesterday it emerged there are to be further delays to the Glen Sannox, which was originally scheduled to be completed in 2018 along with sister ship, Hull 802, at a joint cost of £97 million. The build has suffered repeated cost overruns, delays, design issues and manufacturing blunders, and has been the subject of a serious political scandal surrounding the awarding of the original contract. The final cost of building the boats is now expected to be over £300 million.

It now turns out the Glen Sannox needs extra staircases installed and significant modifications to doorways in crew quarters. In a letter to Holyrood’s transport committee, Ferguson Marine boss David Tydeman said safety regulator the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had ‘re-assessed the application of “cargo ship” rules’, requiring the internal changes. The nationalised Port Glasgow yard has been working to ‘close the impacts of this’ for the last two months, designing and planning modifications. ‘We have one issue to finalise and hope to reach final agreement with the MCA within the next two weeks so that we can carry out all the modifications before Glen Sannox moves to the dry-dock just before Christmas,’ says the letter.

However, this will delay crucial sea trials, pushing them into the new year, as well as the commissioning of liquified natural gas systems at Troon, which must be done after dry-docking. Ferguson had previously said the Glen Sannox would be handed over to state-owned ferry operator CalMac later this year, and then be operational in spring of next year. It is set to serve the busy Arran route.

The worry is there could easily be more delays once the sea trials start. What new problems or past mistakes might those trials show up? Beleaguered islanders had hoped the whole summer 2024 season would be better than in recent years thanks to the arrival of the new boat. With its history of problems and delays, they shouldn’t bet on the Glen Sannox being ready.

In his letter, Tydeman says his team is meeting weekly with key individuals from the Scottish government, its quango Transport Scotland, its ferry procurement company Cmal (Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd), and CalMac, to ‘jointly monitor the commissioning, trials and handover programme, and how this best works with the subsequent mobilisation of crew and the start of CalMac’s passenger operations’. More details of the impact of the changes are due to be given next month.

The latest delays will inevitably push the bill for the boats higher yet again. Fingers crossed this will be the last of the problems, at least for the Glen Sannox, and that we are edging towards the closing scenes of this sorry saga of costly government ineptitude and hubris.

For Scotland’s islanders, it is a far cry from living in the early days of a better nation.