LYNHER to return to service tomorrow morning – 27th June 2025

LYNHER will return to service at 07:10 tomorrow, providing a three-ferry service for the peak morning period.

Regular updates on the level of service being provided over the weekend will be added to the Tamar Crossings website and social media channels so please watch out for information if you are planning to use the ferries during this period.

A normal three ferry schedule will operate from Monday, 30 June.

LYNHER was towed back to Torpoint on 16 June following the completion of its five yearly refit at A & P Falmouth. Since its return ferry staff have been working to restore the ferry’s health, safety, fire and evacuation equipment along with its public seating. Work has also taken place to test the navigation equipment and emergency warning and alarm systems, and to install updated IT servers and computer systems which support tolling and communications.

The subsequent Sea Acceptance Trials (SAT) over the past few days have been successfully completed. The trials were necessary out to ensure that all systems were operating as intended prior to comprehensive inspections by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Lloyds Register inspections to confirm that the ferry complies with standards and is safe for service.

The Torpoint Ferry is the world’s biggest and busiest chain ferry service and the UK’s busiest inland waterway ferry crossing – providing crossings for up to 8,000 vehicles and 1,500 pedestrians each day.

Tamar Crossings operate the ferries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in all weathers. Achieving this requires a significant planned maintenance programme. While the majority of maintenance is carried out while the vessels are afloat or during off peak periods while an individual vessel is not on scheduled service, some maintenance activities have to be carried out during refits in dry dock conditions.

Each of the three ferries undergoes a full refit every five years. The refit of PLYM took place in 2023 and TAMAR in 2024, with the refit of LYNHER this year the final one in the current cycle.

LYNHER’s refit has included a number of key elements, including:

• A mandatory dry docking to allow a survey of the underwater hull to ensure the material state is sufficient to safely last a further five years. This is a statutory requirement and satisfactory completion is required to allow the issue of a Chain Ferry Certificate by the regulatory authority, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
• Replacing systems and equipment that are becoming obsolete or have reached end of life, including chainwheel drive couplings and bearings together with propulsion motor electronic drive components.
• Repainting the vessel both above and below the waterline.

“These refits are essential to maximise the life of the ferries and ensure that we continue to provide a safe and reliable service” said Interim General Manager Andrew Vallance. “During the period of two ferry operation the staff at the ferry have worked hard to minimise disruption to service, and any defect repairs have been carried out as quickly as possible.”

“I would like to thank drivers and passengers for their patience during this period.”