TAMAR II has been taken out of service to prepare for being towed to Falmouth for her refit at the A&P dry dock facilities.As a result the service is being 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), between 06:30 and 22:00 and a single half hourly, night service ferry from 2200 to 06:30.
TAMAR’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.
You can watch a short film about the ferry refit here.
Work is taking place to remove the chains from the ferry, with the vessel due to leave Torpoint on Friday, 26 April subject to the weather conditions, to travel to Falmouth. The ferry is currently due to return to service in June.
The Torpoint Ferry is the world’s biggest and busiest chain ferry service and the UK’s busiest inland waterway ferry crossing – providing crossings for up to 8,000 vehicles and 1,500 pedestrians each day.
Tamar Crossings operate the ferries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in all weathers. Achieving this requires a significant planned maintenance programme. Whilst the majority of maintenance is carried out while the vessels are afloat or during off-peak periods when an individual vessel is not in scheduled service. Major maintenance activities and equipment upgrades have to be carried out during refits in dry dock conditions.
The ferries can only be towed in relatively calm sea states and wind conditions. This means that adverse weather can, and has in the past, significantly impacted on the actual dates of the towing operations in both directions.
We are obviously hopeful that the tow will be able to go ahead on schedule. If, however, the date has to be changed at short notice we will provide information through our website, social media and other means.
We will also be publishing regular updates on the progress of the refit on our website.
The reduced capacity means that there will be greater pressure on the service, with ferry users advised to allow more time for their journeys and to monitor the Tamar Crossings website and social media channels for any updates.