John Petticrew, who took over as interim chief executive of the government-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard, has resigned for “personal reasons”.

His departure comes as little surprise as he had already extended his six month deal and the yard has said it is close to hiring a permanent replacement for David Tydeman who was sacked last March.

There had been criticism that Mr Petticrew would be expected to do his job while his home remained in Canada, and in a statement today Ferguson Marine said he would shortly return across the Atlantic to be with his family.

The company thanked him for his “demonstrable impact” on the business. Mr Petticrew grew up in nearby Greenock and has made progress on the long-delayed CalMac ferries MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa. However, confirming delivery dates or final costs remains elusive.

Ferguson’s chief financial officer David Dishon said: “We remain focused on securing a sustainable and prosperous future for the yard and are very close to announcing a permanent CEO to replace John Petticrew.

“We look forward to providing more detail on this very soon. In the meantime, we remain focused on our key priorities, to secure the future of the yard and deliver MV Glen Rosa as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”