New Strangford ferry has engine breakdown

New Strangford ferry has engine breakdown

22 March 2017

STRANGFORD’S new £6m ferry has experienced engine problems for the second time in a matter of weeks, once again disrupting services.

The multi-million pound vessel suffered a technical problem on Monday morning when its engines failed to start which resulted in the cancellation of an early morning sailing from Portaferry.

The fault — which was eventually repaired — comes just weeks after the vessel had to be taken out of service when a problem developed with its forward engine cooling system.

The ferry has been dogged with a number of problems since its arrival in the village last October. 

In addition to the engine issues, it emerged during sea trials that there was a problem with the vessel’s entry ramps after a design flaw prevented vehicles from driving off at high tide.

As a result, modifications costing £12,000 were required, with the work carried out in dry dock by engineers from the Cammall Laird shipyard on Merseyside where the ferry was built.

The latest setback to hit the new ferry has been described by Portaferry councillor Joe Boyle as “extremely disappointing.”

He said the 7.45am sailing from Portaferry was cancelled on Monday morning as a result of the engine issue which resulted in people intending to use the crossing being late for work. Councillor Boyle said the cancelled crossing also impacted on students on their way to schools and colleges on the other side of Strangford Lough.

He said while there will always be a risk factor associated with mechanical parts and their failings, it is “extremely disappointing” the new ferry failed it’s customer base and users so early into it’s service.

Councillor Boyle continued: “The fact the 7.45am sailing from Portaferry was unable to take place meant that there was uncertainty over when the service would become operational again. What happened on Monday morning disrupted connectivity and impacted on people’s travel arrangements.”

The local politician said the problem with the engines resulted in students missing the early crossing from Portaferry and connecting buses in Strangford which had already departed, further compounding their situation.

“It is extremely important that we have a dependable ferry service in place to meet the requirements of regular users and those visiting the area,” declared councillor Boyle.

“It is also important to have back-up vessels at the ready to fill the void of failure at any given time involving any particular vessel. Dependability and regularity are both key to the promotion of a service required and expected from any public service provider including the Strangford ferry service.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Infrastructure confirmed the new ferry experienced a technical problem when starting the engines on Monday morning which resulted in a 20 minute delay. 

“Staff were on immediate hand to resolve the issue and managed to start the service by 7.50am,” she added.