Latest ferry breakdown prompts reliability plea

10 May 2017

A LEADING government department has been asked to ensure there are no more disruptions to the Strangford ferry service.

One of the new vessel’s operating on the route — which has been plagued by problems since it came into operation at the end of January — broke down two weeks ago when a fault developed with its electronic steering system during sea trials.

The incident was the third breakdown the MV Strangford II experienced in a matter of weeks, prompting the SDLP’s South Down Westminster election candidate Margaret Ritchie to call on the Department of Infrastructure — which is responsible for the service — to ensure there are no further problems.

She said the ferry crossing provides an essential means of transport for many people between Strangford and Portaferry, with the service vital for the local economy.

“Any disruption to the ferry service can cause delays for those seeking to go to work or school in the mornings or their return journeys in the evening and I was disappointed to learn the new vessel has experienced further mechanical failure,” continued Miss Ritchie.

“As we approach the busy summer season, it is imperative that there is a safe, reliable ferry service across Strangford Lough for all commuters and visitors.”

A Department for Infrastructure spokeswoman explained that with the arrival of the MV Strangford II, the organisation has put in place a service rotation with the second vessel which operates the busy crossing, the MV Portaferry II.

She said this allows routine inspection and maintenance of each ferry to be carried out without any reduction in service to the public and that during normal operations, one ferry will be in service with the other on standby in case of a breakdown. The spokeswoman said at peak holiday periods, both ferries are deployed if necessary and additional staff are on duty to assist with fares collection and traffic management.

She continued: “The MV Strangford II was in continuous service for 15 hours per day between February 19 and April 18. The MV Portaferry II underwent its annual refit in the early spring and returned to service for the busy Easter weekend.The MV Strangford II was taken out of service through its rotation on April 19 to give engineers an opportunity to carry out maintenance work.

“On Thursday, April 27, whilst the MV Strangford II was out of scheduled service, engineers took the opportunity to carry out maintenance work on the steering system and carry out testing on Strangford Lough.

“At around 5pm, it developed a technical issue with the electronic steering system and manual steering was used to take the vessel out of the flow of the tide where it was anchored while repairs were carried out. A total of four crew were on board consisting of one skipper and three engineering staff.”

The spokeswoman confirmed work was completed by 7pm on the same day and the vessel was brought back to dock, with the Maritime Coastguard Agency informed. She said final repairs to the electronic steering system are currently underway and it is expected this work will be completed this week with the MV Strangford II due to return to service at the end of the MV Portaferry II rotation period later in the month.

The spokeswoman also confirmed the MV Portaferry II developed what she described as a “minor maintenance problem” last Sunday morning which resulted in one scheduled sailing being delayed by ten minutes.

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