30 March 2007
New vessel sets sail on the Gourock-Kilcreggan-Helensburgh service
SPT invests £1.5m to upgrade vital ferry commuter link
The new purpose built vessel for the Gourock-Kilcreggan-Helensburgh ferry service was officially named MV Seabus by SPT Chair Councillor Alistair Watson
and Captain Archie Munro, Managing Director of Clyde Marine Services Ltd at a short ceremony held today (30 March) at Kilcreggan Pier.
The MV Seabus begins service on 1 April 2007 to replace the veteran MV Kenilworth, now 71 years old. The MV Seabus is a new generation ferry, designed specifically for this route. She is fully wheelchair accessible and fitted with audio visual systems to provide real time journey information for people with sight or hearing difficulties.
Passengers will now be able to buy journey tickets under cover at the ticket office, before making their way to the spacious lounge on the deck below. It provides seating for 90 passengers and low level windows to ensure all round views during the crossing. Seats are fitted with hand grabs as an additional safety detail, in the event of rough sea conditions.
MV Seabus is the latest addition to the Clyde Marine Services Ltd fleet. The company has recently been awarded a £1.5 million contract by SPT to operate the ferry service for a period of 5 years from 1 April 2007.
The service provides a vital link for residents and commuters on the Rosneath Peninsula, with a crossing time of just 25 minutes to Gourock and less than 15 minutes from Kilcreggan to Helensburgh.
The ferry timetable is designed to ensure journeys are integrated and passengers can travel by public transport, offering 13 crossings in both directions daily, starting at 0700 until 1932 hrs. In the event of the late arrival of the last commuter train at Gourock 1810 the ferry will wait a maximum 10 minutes to ensure travellers get home.
During the short naming ceremony SPT Chair Councillor Alistair Watson said: “We’re constantly working with partner organisations to improve public transport links across the west of Scotland and today we see tangible evidence of the success of this policy.
“I am delighted that by working in partnership with Clyde Marine, we’re able to deliver improved levels of customer service for passengers on this vital Clyde crossing.”
Captain Archie Munro, Managing Director of Clyde Marine Services Ltd said:”Our investment in this new vessel is clear evidence of our faith in the improvement and development of passenger ferries in the Clyde area.
“ The Seabus been built to the latest EU Directives and we are confident she will provide a greatly improved travel experience for all users of the Gourock-Kilcreggan-Helensburgh service.”
ends
Notes to editors
MV Seabus was built by the Voyager Boatyard, Millbrook, near Plymouth. She measures 19.5 metres long by 6.2 metres wide and is powered by two 180 horse power Gardner diesel engines to carry 100 passengers.
Her predecessor, MV Kenilworth carried over 2.1m passengers during her time 28 years of operation, clocking up 0.75million nautical miles.