Mersey Ferries have been suspended for a fourth consecutive day. A statement issued via X just before 7am on Tuesday, October 13, announced the cancellation.
A bus replacement service for the morning and afternoon commuter services is in operation between Hamilton Square and Seacombe. Mersey Ferries added: "We will provide a further update as soon as more information becomes available. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Technical issue behind suspension
On Saturday, it was confirmed that the ferries crossing the River Mersey between Liverpool and Wirral had been cancelled due to a technical issue, according to a statement from the official social media pages of Mersey Ferries. The organisation made that announcement at around 9am on Saturday and apologised to would-be travellers for the inconvenience.
On Sunday, the same situation occurred. The ferry operator, which comes under the management of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said the ferries remained suspended due to an unspecified technical issue. On Monday, the same message was repeated, confirming a third consecutive day of suspension.
Mechanical fault in Snowdrop's engine
A spokesperson for the combined authority confirmed that there is a mechanical fault in the engine of the Snowdrop ferry. At present, the Snowdrop is the only vessel operating on the route, as the Royal Iris ferry was retired and decommissioned earlier this year after 67 years of service.
The Royal Iris will be replaced by the new £26m Royal Daffodil vessel, which is expected to enter full service later this month. The new Mersey Ferry is currently completing its final trials on the water.
A spokesperson for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said: "Due to a mechanical issue with the Snowdrop's engine, we are unfortunately currently unable to run our commuter and Liverpool Sightseeing River Cruise services until further notice.
"Passengers travelling on the morning and evening commuter services can continue their journey using the replacement bus service, which operates between Seacombe Ferry Terminal and Hamilton Square railway station.
"Although the Royal Daffodil was undergoing initial passenger trials last week, the vessel has not yet entered full passenger service and is currently unavailable.
"We have engineers working on site with the Snowdrop and hope to have this issue resolved as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience that this has caused and will provide further updates as soon as we're able."
