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27/10/2011
Not 'Ferry Good News' In Strangford
A temporary weight restriction of 7.5 tonnes has this week been applied to heavy goods vehicles travelling on the Strangford Ferry.
The main vessel, the MV Portaferry II, has been withdrawn for its annual refit and the backup vessel, the MV Strangford, has gone into service.
Major maintenance work has been carried out on the MV Strangford including the fabrication and fitting of new vehicle ramps. An essential part of this work is the safe loading certification of the ramps.
Whilst the new ramps have been tested for vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes further assessment is required for heavier vehicles.
The loading assessment and testing of the new MV Strangford ramps is ongoing and is expected to be completed in four weeks.
Upon completion of this assessment, the temporary weight restriction on the MV Strangford will be reviewed.
On average around 12 large commercial vehicles, including those under 7.5 tonnes, are carried each day. This means that the temporary restriction is expected to affect less than 2% of all vehicles carried.
The MV Strangford is expected to be in service for six to eight weeks. During this time an additional sailing from Portaferry at 7.15am will be provided to meet the early morning demand.
The Ferry Service has contacted regular HGV customers and will put in place temporary traffic signs. Customers have also been informed through the free SMS text messaging service.
(BMcC/GK)
The main vessel, the MV Portaferry II, has been withdrawn for its annual refit and the backup vessel, the MV Strangford, has gone into service.
Major maintenance work has been carried out on the MV Strangford including the fabrication and fitting of new vehicle ramps. An essential part of this work is the safe loading certification of the ramps.
Whilst the new ramps have been tested for vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes further assessment is required for heavier vehicles.
The loading assessment and testing of the new MV Strangford ramps is ongoing and is expected to be completed in four weeks.
Upon completion of this assessment, the temporary weight restriction on the MV Strangford will be reviewed.
On average around 12 large commercial vehicles, including those under 7.5 tonnes, are carried each day. This means that the temporary restriction is expected to affect less than 2% of all vehicles carried.
The MV Strangford is expected to be in service for six to eight weeks. During this time an additional sailing from Portaferry at 7.15am will be provided to meet the early morning demand.
The Ferry Service has contacted regular HGV customers and will put in place temporary traffic signs. Customers have also been informed through the free SMS text messaging service.
(BMcC/GK)
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