The ferries provide a vital 24-hour service in all weathers for up to 8,000 vehicles a day, including emergency vehicles, and around 1,500 pedestrians each day, 365 days a year. Achieving this requires a significant planned maintenance programme.

While the majority of maintenance is carried out while the vessels are afloat or during off-peak periods when an individual vessel is not on scheduled service, some maintenance activities have to be carried out during refits in dry dock conditions. The refits are essential to maximise the life of the ferries and ensure that we continue to provide a safe and reliable service.

Each of the three ferries undergoes a full refit every five years. PLYM is the first of the ferries to undergo a refit during this five-year cycle. TAMAR’s next refit is scheduled to take place in April 2024, and LYNHER’s in April 2025.

PLYM’s refit will include a number of key elements, including • A mandatory dry docking to allow a survey of the underwater hull to ensure the material state is sufficient to safely last a further five years. This is a statutory requirement and satisfactory completion is required to allow the issue of a Chain Ferry Certificate by the regulatory authority, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. • Replacing systems and equipment that are becoming obsolete or have reached end of life, including chainwheel drive couplings and bearings together with propulsion motor electronic drive components. • Repainting the vessel both above and below the waterline.

The refit is being carried out by A&P at their dry dock facilities in Falmouth.

The refit usually takes about six weeks to complete. We will be working closely with A&P to ensure that the works are completed on schedule and the ferry is back in service as quickly as possible. Some of the work is weather dependent and this can affect the overall duration – an allowance has been made for this.

While the majority of maintenance is carried out while the vessels are afloat or during off-peak periods when an individual vessel is not on scheduled service, some maintenance activities and inspections have to be carried out during refits in dry dock conditions.

The ferry has to be towed 44 nautical miles from Torpoint to Falmouth. This journey usually takes around six hours to complete.

The ferries can only be towed in relatively calm sea states and low wind conditions, so adverse weather can impact on the actual dates of the towing operations in both directions.

During the refit period the service will be provided by the two remaining ferries, one leaving each side of the river every 15 minutes (on the hour and 15, 30 and 45 minutes past the hour), and the normal single ferry, half hourly, night service from 2200 to 06.30.

Once the ferry has returned to Torpoint, the towing gear needs to be removed and the ferry put back on its chains and prepared for service, which takes a few days to complete.