Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Ferry Repairs

A Manx ferry Ben-my-Chree will be out of action for 'at least a week' as it undergoes repair work to one of its propellers.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company says it sustained damage when entering Heysham harbour, and it'll go into dry dock on Tuesday.

After inspection by divers, as well as investigations by the manufacturers of the propeller control systems, it's been decided the repairs can't be carried out whilst the vessel is afloat.

Manx Radio understands the Ben-my-Chree only returned to Douglas at around 12:30 this morning.

It'll sail from Douglas to Falmouth dry dock on Tuesday, with a further inspection and assessment by specialists to take place there.

The ropax built in 1998 Afloat adds having sailed overnight from the Irish Sea is currently off the Cornish coast while at Falmouth anchorage.

Published in Ferry

#FerryRepairs – The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has been informed by Italian shipbuilders, Fincantieri, manufacturers of the fin stabiliser which was damaged and removed in January, will be completed and ready for re-fitting for ro-pax Ben-my-Chree in June.

The 12,500 tonnes passenger and freight vessel sustained damage to one of its two stabilising fins during heavy weather at the start of the year. Following an inspection in late January, a decision was made to remove the affected fin and return Ben-my-Chree to service until the repaired unit was ready to be re-fitted.

The Steam Packet Company can confirm work to install the repaired fin will take place in a quiet period from 19-21 June and a revised sailing schedule will operate during this period.

The Manx ferry operator is contacting any passengers affected on these dates in the coming weeks and the fast-craft Manannan and freight ferry Arrow will provide sailings to Heysham and Liverpool.

Ben-my-Chree has effective stabilising efficiency with only one fin operational, and there is no impact on the vessel's ability to sail, nor to berth, safely.

Published in Ferry

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.