Mersey Ferries could be unavailable for several weeks, the Liverpool ECHO understands. The commuter and river explorer cruises have been suspended for five consecutive days due to a technical issue with the only operational ferry, the Snowdrop (also known as the Dazzle).
Services Suspended Since June 25
Mersey Ferries has announced the suspension of services every day since Thursday, June 25, citing a 'technical issue' each time. The ferries are operated by Merseytravel for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The commuter ferries transport passengers between Pier Head in Liverpool and Seacombe Ferry Terminal in Wirral, while the 50-minute river explorer cruises are popular with tourists, featuring recorded commentary on the history of the Mersey Ferries and Merseyside.
A Mersey Ferries spokesperson said: 'Due to a technical issue, we are unfortunately currently unable to run our commuter and River Explorer services until further notice. A replacement bus service is in place for both the AM and PM commuter services which is operating between Seacombe Ferry Terminal and Hamilton Square railway station, with ticket acceptance on Merseyrail services. We have engineers working on site and hope to have this issue resolved as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience that this has caused.'
Only Ferry in Operation
The technical issue relates to the Snowdrop Ferry, commonly known as the Dazzle, which is currently the only ferry in operation on the Mersey. The vessel is designed in tribute to the naval strategies of World War 1. The Dazzle is alone on the river after the Royal Iris ferry was retired and decommissioned earlier this year. Previously, if one ferry suffered a fault, it would be replaced by the second vessel; now, a fault means the entire service is suspended.
New Ferry on the Horizon
This situation may persist for weeks until a new £26m ferry, The Royal Daffodil, enters passenger service. Built at Birkenhead's Cammell Laird, the Royal Daffodil has been completing sea tests and is due to enter service within weeks, according to Merseytravel. The new ferry is expected to restore full service capacity and prevent future prolonged suspensions.
