 IN March 1903 when the four Ferguson brothers launched themselves into the uncertain world of shipbuilding, nobody could have predicted that 108 years later, after every other civilian yard on the Clyde had fallen silent, the clang of the jackhammer and the thud of the riveter would continue to ring around their yard in Port Glasgow.  Fergusons has gone through a number of changes of ownership in the intervening century and much uncertainty, interspersed with periods of frenetic activity when a rush was on to finish a big order. In recent years the yard has lost out on several government orders under EU tendering rules that sometimes appear to be applied more strictly in the UK than elsewhere. at times, with no new orders in sight, there were fears that the yard would close with the loss of specialist skills. Over the last four years the yard has survived on a diet of marine contract work.  So it is especially pleasing to report that Fergusons has won an order for two 900-tonne ferries, against stiff international competition, securing the yard s 75 jobs, with the prospect of 100 more. There will even be 20 apprentices. The ferries will operate on the Sconser to Raasay route in Skye, operated by Caledonian MacBrayne and are due to enter service in 2013. and, as befits a country with extremely ambitious green energy targets, the vessels will be the world s first hybrid ferries, using a low-carbon mix of diesel and battery power. The huge lithium ion batteries will be recharged each night. If windpower is used to generate this electricity, these will be among the most environmentally-friendly ships on earth. Emissions from shipping are said to account for 4% of carbon dioxide emissions, so the future of this technology is vitally important.  Far from being a relic of a bygone age, let us hope that Fergusons can show the way to the future and mark the beginning of a shipbuilding renaissance on the River Clyde.