‘Reliable’ ferry is defended

‘Reliable’ ferry is defended

9 October 2013

THE reliability of the Strangford Ferry service has been defended following another breakdown at the weekend.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has described the service’s track record as “impressive”, releasing statistics that show only six out of 22,206 scheduled sailings were cancelled last year because of mechanical problems.

On Sunday morning the MV Strangford broke down for nearly six hours — the same ferry that broke down during the early morning rush last Tuesday.

The main ferry, the MV Portaferry II, is currently undergoing its annual refit and is due back on service in November.

Following on from his criticisms last week, councillor Joe Boyle said he was becoming “increasingly worried as to the level of service that may be on offer during the next number of weeks”.

While commending the “caring approach” of concerned ferry staff, he described it as a “substandard service”.

Margaret Ritchie MP has also described the recent disruption for commuters as unacceptable.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has apologised for Sunday’s mechanical breakdown, which, like last Tuesday, involved a fault with a water pump.

“The Department strives to deliver a reliable service and apologises for any inconvenience, however, the safety of passengers and the crew, rightly, takes priority,” said a spokesman.

“The back-up foot passenger service was in operation while the car ferry service was suspended.”

The Ferry Service manager, Seamus Fitzsimons, explained that the refit was a painstaking job, all designed to ensure customer safety.

“This is a necessary safety requirement and involves a complete overhaul of all mechanical systems and an inspection by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency,” he said. “In addition, all the safety equipment on board is serviced and tested.

“Regular ferry passengers may also notice some fresh paintwork.”

With 62 crossings every day, Mr. Fitzsimons described the ferry as a reliable and cost effective part of the daily trip to school for many children.

“During 2012 only six out of 22,206 scheduled sailings were cancelled because of mechanical problems,” he said. “This year’s figures up to the end of September, while showing a slight increase, are still impressive with just 20 out of 16,630 scheduled sailings cancelled because of breakdown.

“One thing that none of us has any influence over is the weather. Last year bad weather resulted in 113 cancelled sailings. The majority of these were because of heavy fog.

“For the safety of passengers and crew the rule is simple — ‘If you can’t see the other side you don’t sail’.

“The aim of the staff is to deliver a safe and reliable service for everyone, however, sometimes sailings do get cancelled. Passengers should be reassured that a cancellation serves one purpose alone — passenger safety.”