Community Update: Gry Maritha

Since December, Gry Maritha has been operating with weather limitations following damage sustained to her windlass while berthing in St Mary’s. This has meant that in certain sea conditions the vessel has not been able to operate as we normally would.

Combined with what has been some of the most persistent and challenging weather we have seen in January and February, this restriction has inevitably affected schedules and, at times, the certainty we aim to provide. We fully recognise the impact this has had across the islands, and we are genuinely sorry for the disruption and frustration experienced.

We are pleased to report that a new windlass shaft has now been manufactured and delivered to Penzance and is ready for fitting. The windlass was removed from Gry Maritha this morning, and the final stages of the repair are now underway.

Having reviewed the weather forecast for the coming week, conditions are currently unlikely to allow the vessel to operate. We have therefore taken the decision to use this period proactively to complete the windlass repair and bring forward Gry’s planned dry docking. This docking forms part of our regulatory programme and will also allow us to carry out additional maintenance works, along with a hull clean, to ensure she remains resilient and ready to deliver freight services reliably once she returns to service.

While Gry Maritha is out of service, Scillonian III will return on Monday 23 February to undertake freight crossings and support continuity of supply wherever possible.

We would like to sincerely thank the community for its patience over recent weeks. Operating a lifeline freight service in winter conditions is never without challenge, but we remain absolutely committed to restoring full capability as quickly and safely as possible, and to improving the consistency of our communications as we do so.

We will continue to provide updates as work progresses and will confirm Gry’s return to service as soon as this is known.

Stuart Reid