Dartmouth Higher Ferry – Replacement Vessel
The previous Higher Ferry had been in operation since 1960. In January 2006, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency issued its final Operating Certificate – which expires this July.
The contract to build the new vessel was awarded to Pendennis Shipyard, at Falmouth, in November 2007. The hull of the new ferry was constructed in Holland and was towed to Falmouth over Christmas 2008. Fitted out by Pendennis, the renowned superyacht builder, it was delivered to Dartmouth on 15th June and is now in service.
During the 49 year life of the previous ferry, road traffic in the UK has doubled. The life of the new ferry is expected to also be around 50 years – and the necessary steps have been taken to “future-proof” the new vessel. It has a nominal capacity of 32 cars (as opposed to the old 18) and 250 passengers. Crossing times have been reduced by around 25% offering a substantial reduction of the queuing-time.
Main propulsion is provided by a pair of hydraulically driven “bull wheels”, on each side of the vessel, which pull the ferry along two steel wires anchored to each side of the river. The new vessel is much quieter and more efficient than the old paddle-driven design. Four thrusters provide additional manoeuvrability to correct vessel alignment when required e.g. strong wind or tidal conditions.
An improved traffic management system on the Dartmouth side of the river – and on-board traffic lights spanning the car deck – should ensure better turnaround times.
A new ticketing system, using Bluetooth technology, also streamlines the operation.
A midship central control room above the car deck provides a driving position with good visibility. Along one side, accommodation compartments have been created as a store, locker room, wet room, crew office and passenger room.
Power is provided by two engines, Scania DI 1262EM (rated at 280kW each), of which only one is required for normal operation. These engines are exceptionally quiet, fuel-efficient - and have particularly low levels of carbon emission.
Although the vessel’s construction allows it to carry vehicles of up to 20 tonnes, the intention is to only carry vehicles of up to 16 tonnes – as was the situation prior to 2001.
The new ferry is approximately 10 metres longer and 6 metres wider than the old vessel.
The Dartmouth slipway has been widened marginally along its northern edge. The historic ‘lifeboat’ slip (damaged some years ago during construction work by BT) has been sympathetically restored to preserve its heritage.
The new ferry floats 20cms deeper than the old vessel and therefore a modest amount of dredging on the Dartmouth side has been done.