Cowes floating bridge out of action for more than six weeks
It's so a five-year inspection can take place
Last updated 7th Mar 2022
The Cowes floating bridge will be out of service for more than six weeks from Monday (March 7th).
It's so the Maritime and Coastguard Agency can carry out a full safety inspection on the vessel, which is legally required for all passenger ferries every five years.
The works will involve preparation with the vessel berthed at Wight Shipyard, in East Cowes, followed by a trip to a dry dock facility in Falmouth.
The work will continue until April 22nd.
The passenger launch will be available throughout the period when the vessel is not in service.
The vessel has suffered a large number of mechanical issues since its introduction in 2017, leading to continued disruption and cancellation of services.
But Isle of Wight councillor Phil Jordan has said the planned downtime is unrelated to those issues.
He added:
“We knew this inspection was going to be needed, and to comply with the regulations it cannot be delayed any further.
“Obviously I am disappointed this will mean another break in service for Floating Bridge 6, but I can confirm this planned downtime is nothing to do with the existing issues we have been experiencing on the vessel.
“We will also take advantage of this chance to do some other routine works to the floating bridge, such as repainting, works to electrical systems and an update to the on-board CCTV.
“This will not extend the time of the inspection, but it will mean the vessel will not need to come out of service for these works at other times in the future.”
A spokesman for the MCA added:
“The Out of Water Survey, carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, is a requirement for all chain ferries, and occurs once every five years.
"We will be inspecting Floating Bridge 6 as we would any other chain ferry in accordance with the Code of Practice for Chain Ferries acting as a Floating Bridge."