Mersey Ferries have been suspended for a third consecutive day due to a mechanical fault in the engine of the Snowdrop ferry, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has confirmed.
The ferry crossing between Liverpool and Wirral has been out of action since Saturday, when the operator announced on social media that services were cancelled due to a technical issue. The same message was repeated on Sunday and again on Monday, with no further details provided at the time.
Mechanical fault confirmed
After being approached by the ECHO for a fuller explanation, a spokesperson for the combined authority confirmed that there is a mechanical fault in the engine of the Snowdrop ferry. At present, Snowdrop is the only vessel operating on the route, because the Royal Iris ferry was retired and decommissioned earlier this year after 67 years of service.
Iris is due to be replaced by the new £26m Royal Daffodil vessel, which is expected to enter full service later this month. The new ferry is currently completing its final trials on the water.
Replacement bus service running
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.”
