Ferries across waterways - whether by vehicle, foot or both (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[jakemonkfish]

Found this on the local news website - it would make a nice change from the train, especially on a sunny day

Link attempted below

http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2008/ferry-service-planned-17-10-08.php

[Chris from Nailsea]

Strong winds and heavy rain have led to the cancellation of a ferry service from Weymouth to the Channel Islands on Monday.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7718578.stm

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Plans for a ^3m passenger ferry service linking north Devon and south Wales could soon be back on track after the project's original investor pulled out.

Catamaran firm Severn Link had hoped to start the route at Easter but delays in creating Swansea landing facilities led to it being put off until next year.

Then another blow was dealt when the initial investor withdrew.

However, Severn Link founder Chris Marrow has revealed that his firm is now in talks with a new backer.

Mr Marrow said: "We've had quite a bit of interest, but finalising something is pretty difficult. However, we are in the middle of talks with this new potential investor and we hope to have completed negotiations by the end of the year."

As well as wanting to run a 50-minute passenger service between Swansea and Ilfracombe, Severn Link is also considering the feasibility of a route between Cardiff and Minehead in Somerset.

The firm has already conducted sea trials of the catamarans that would be used to cross the Severn Estuary.

[JayMac]

From the Dorset Echo:

Condor Ferries has announced sailings this weekend will be relocated from Weymouth to Poole.

Earlier this week concerns were raised by Condor Ferries and Weymouth Harbour regarding the structural integrity of part of the ferry berth in Weymouth Port.

An initial investigation by the Weymouth Port Engineer has been completed today, and based on this; the berth will be removed from use to allow detailed investigations to be made.

Condor Ferries is contacting passengers affected by the change of port and where necessary helping them to change their travel plans, as well as making sure that up-to-date information is available on its website www.condorferries.com.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Severn ferry plan between south Wales and Devon 'not forgotten'

Plans for a ferry service between south Wales and Devon could still happen despite setbacks, it is claimed.

Severn Link had hoped to start the route between Swansea and Ilfracombe in 2010, and sea trials had been carried out on the catamarans.

Issues over landing facilities and the withdrawal of an investor led to delays, and the vessels were sold.

However, Severn Link founder Chris Marrow said he had not given up and it was still very much a "live project".

"We are still working on it. It's not forgotten but it's quite hard to predict," he said. "I'm loath to give a date. Having almost got started and then disappointed people I'm loath to disappoint them again. We're not talking about this year but, if things fall into place, next year could be a possibility, but it's only a possibility. There's a lot of ducks to get in a row."

The original plan was for a ferry link between Swansea and Ilfracombe, but a service between Cardiff and Minehead was also being considered.

Marine specialist Mr Marrow said that all options were currently being considered.

He said there had been issues over infrastructure, such as the landing facilities in Swansea, and concerns over access at Ilfracombe when there were high winds.

"We are trying to deal with that. If we can deal with that, we could put in a car ferry," he said. "We're working on other things as well. It would be a lot easier if the infrastructure was in place. Having come within weeks of starting and not being able to do so, we have to set up a new business plan and get funding in place."

He said he believed that if the infrastructure was sorted out, then funding would follow. And although the vessels planned for the service have been sold, he added it would be relatively straightforward to buy others.

"The two catamarans were sold. They're with a Russian operator in the Black Sea," he said. "To be honest, it's a buyer's market. I'm getting four or five adverts every day at the moment for ferries. There are vessels about."

Earlier in February, the owners of the Swansea-Cork ferry announced its closure with the loss of 78 jobs, having suspended sailings in November.

[welshman]

More low flying pigs, I fear.

[phile]

This has been going on for years now. many people are just regarding it as "pie in the sky".     Setback after setback including failure to satisfy the Maritime Agency.

[grahame]

Update, from Condor website:

Sailings up to 28 March have been relocated from Weymouth to Poole due to a structural integrity issue at Weymouth Port. For more information and revised sailing times check Sailing Updates.Poole Lifting Bridge will be operating an amended schedule as of 5 March. Click here for lifting timetable.

[grahame]

A further update from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-20577973

From last December (so not new), but I missed it then ...

Condor Ferries moved its Channel Island sailings from Weymouth to Poole in February after structural problems forced the closure of Weymouth Quay.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said it wanted to reopen the terminal by May next year.

Fast ferry services to the Channel Islands and France are set to return to Weymouth from 17 July 2013.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

The vessel, which cost ^225,000, produces no emissions

A hydrogen-powered passenger boat has begun operating in Bristol's harbour.

Commissioned for the city council's Green Capital initiative, Hydrogenesis operates 45-minute trips between the Arnolfini and the ss Great Britain.

Keith Dunstan, director of Bristol Hydrogen Boats, says the vessel is the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s first hydrogen fuel-celled boat.

The 11m (36ft) 12-seat vessel had been due on the water last weekend but a technical fault caused a delay.

The vessel, which cost ^225,000 and produces no emissions, is starting a six-month trial in the city docks. It was designed and built by Bristol Hydrogen Boats, a consortium of local ferry operators and Auriga Energy Ltd.

"This has never been done before. This is the UK's first hydrogen fuel-celled boat," said Mr Dunstan. "We've had quite a few technical problems along the way but we've overcome them all and we're ready to go right now. We've been looking forward to this moment when we can actually say it's running and carry passengers.

"We've been running for a while, trialling it and making sure things are running properly. But I think it's finally ready to go, so we're going to keep our fingers crossed."

Mr Dunstan said a specially commissioned fuel station had been built to create hydrogen to power the ferry.

If the scheme is financially viable, Mr Dunstan hopes it can be extended with the long-term aim to produce its own hydrogen.

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Three passengers and a crew member on an Isle of Wight ferry were taken to hospital after the upper car deck of the ship collapsed.

The mezzanine floor, which was holding nine cars, was being lowered when it dropped about 6ft on to the deck below.



Three people in their cars and a crew member on the upper deck suffered non life-threatening injuries.

Emergency services were called to Fishbourne terminal on the island just before 22:30 BST on Friday.

Those hurt were taken to St Mary's Hospital in Newport, with the crew member later discharged.

A statement from Wightlink Ferries read: "As part of the usual disembarkation process, after vehicles on the lower deck had left the ship, the starboard forward mezzanine deck with nine cars on board was lowered.

"When it was a short distance from the deck below, it dropped a few feet and made contact with the lower deck.

"A full investigation into the incident is under way. It has been reported to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and Wightlink is fully co-operating with the authorities."

The ship, the St Helen, last underwent an independent engineering inspection in May, the company said.

The vessel sailed from Portsmouth Gunwharf at 21:30 with 181 passengers and 11 crew onboard.

Passengers on another ferry, the St Clare, had to wait for 90 minutes to dock at Fishbourne while the emergency services, which included police, fire crews, coastguards and ambulance service, attended the scene.

John Burrows, chief operating officer at Wightlink, said the St Helen was brought back to Portsmouth and immediately taken out of service.

He said engineers and safety officers had inspected the firm's fleet before they were cleared to sail on Saturday.

Mr Burrows, who said he has never known of any similar incidents, added he was "comfortable and confident" there will be no repeat.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bristol hydrogen-powered ferry a 'vanity project'


The 12-seater prototype ferry operated for just six months in Bristol Harbour

A hydrogen-powered ferry in Bristol has been criticised as a 'wasteful vanity project' by Conservative councillors.

'Hydrogenesis', believed to be the first commercial fuel cell boat in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), was commissioned by Bristol City Council in 2010 at a cost of ^225,000.

It ran for six months in the harbour last year but has since been moored.

Councillor Richard Eddy called it a "white elephant", but Mayor George Ferguson said it had "served us well in terms of... environmental credentials".

The 12-seater passenger ferry was designed and built by Bristol Hydrogen Boats, a consortium of ferry operators and Auriga Energy.

It was operated as part of a six-month trial last year, but has not been used since.

"If you want a low-carbon boat, having a motionless boat moored up is a triumph because it's not going to create any carbon footprint," said Mr Eddy. "In my view it's been a wasteful white elephant."

Mr Ferguson, who was elected in 2012, said it would "never have happened" under his regime. "I don't think councils are here to do research and development projects but having said that it was a factor in our submission to European Green Capital," he said. "It has served a purpose but was not good value."

But Richard Rankin from Hydrogen Boats, said it would be "viable" if there was a hydrogen station "in place".

"We had to rent a filling station for six months at a cost of ^59,000," he said. "But we're converting the ferry to run on bottled hydrogen and will be running it next year."

[Richard Fairhurst]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Keith Dunstan, director of Bristol Hydrogen Boats, says the vessel is the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s first hydrogen fuel-celled boat.

Nope! Birmingham University built one a few years back - a narrowboat called the Ross Barlow.

[JayMac]

And a university is the right place for such technology to built and funded by.

I disagree with Mayor Ferguson that the hydrogen boat served it's purpose. River transport in Bristol is a tiny percentage of the overall use of public transport in the city. Money would have been much better spent on hydrogen fuel cell technology for land based vehicles.

Bristol successfully won with it's bid to be European Green Capital in 2015 and the hydrogen fuelled waterbus was part of the submission. It wasn't however referenced in the Jury Panel report and only received one line in the Expert Evaluation Panel report. Copenhagen's submission was far more comprehensive with regard to hydrogen fuel cell technology. Their plan is to have all the vehicles used by the city running on either electricity or hydrogen by 2015. Bristol will still be using a large fleet of diesel vans for the foreseeable future.

[TonyK]

Bristol will still be using a large fleet of diesel vans for the foreseeable future.

And MetroBust. It seems the normal rules of cost-benefit ratios are far from fixed. Reading between the lines, this boat was doomed to the sidelines once the Jury Panel's report had been made, without mentioning it. Had it been given a few lines, then it would have remained in service, trundling VIPs around the harbour, until 2016.

It's a shame, but it was never viable, especially not at the premium price charged for the journey when compared to Bristol Ferries et al, who cover a much wider area. Hydrogen for commercial use is made by using superheated steam to knock carbon atoms from methane, usually at a pressure of 20 atmospheres or so (300 psi). Enough could have been made for this project using electrolysis, powered by a solar panel or Economy 7 electricity. The lack of political will did for the Hydrogenesis in Bristol. Hopefully, all is not lost, and somewhere else can make better use of it.