Scotland's First Minister Backs Transport Secretary Amid Ferry Gas Leak Controversy

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has publicly backed his Transport Secretary, Stephen Flynn, amid a controversy surrounding Flynn's awareness of a gas leak incident on the CalMac ferry MV Glen Sannox. Swinney stated that he has confidence in Flynn, asserting that "nobody's perfect, nobody's infallible."

The issue came to a head when Flynn appeared before the transport committee on September 9. He stated he was unaware of a BBC Scotland News report detailing a gas leak that occurred in June 2025, where approximately 700kg of methane was vented from the ferry while it carried passengers. Flynn explained he had been facetiming his children before the meeting and had missed the morning news.

However, briefing documents released later via a freedom of information request and published by The Scottish Sun and The Times indicated that Flynn's office had been contacted about the story twice in the half-hour preceding the committee meeting. This led to accusations that Flynn was unaware of crucial information and potentially attempted to downplay his lack of preparedness.

Flynn has maintained that he was not formally briefed on the incident prior to the committee appearance. He posted on X, "This is not true. I should've seen the BBC news that morning - but the FOI confirms I was not briefed."

Transport Scotland stated that emails sent to Flynn's office on the morning of the committee appearance were not shared with him, and a high-level media statement drafted was not formally a briefing. The organization confirmed that the previous transport secretary, Fiona Hyslop, had been briefed on the incident in June 2025.

Critics, including Willie Rennie, convener of the transport committee, and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay, have questioned Flynn's handling of the situation. Rennie suggested Flynn was "only making things worse for himself" and alleged an attempt at a "cover-up." Findlay called for Flynn to refer himself to the independent advisers on the ministerial code, stating that "bombshell new evidence suggests that he conspired with officials to execute a sleekit, skin-saving cover-up."

Swinney, speaking on the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme, acknowledged that Flynn "recognised that he should have been across an issue to be in front of the transport committee and he remedied that right away." Swinney added that Flynn had remedied the situation with his response to the committee later on, emphasizing his belief in Flynn's capabilities despite the incident.

The MV Glen Sannox, a new ferry built in the UK with liquefied natural gas (LNG) capabilities, experienced the gas leak when a valve in its engine system failed during a return journey from Arran to Troon. The incident triggered gas detector alarms in the engine rooms. The manufacturer, Wartsila, had reportedly recommended an upgrade to the valve system prior to the incident, but it remains unclear if these recommendations were passed to the shipyard.