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20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | July 2010 MEMBERS AT WORK ANDREW LININGTON meets the <strong>Nautilus</strong> members who deliver vital supplies for the Isles of Scilly… A lifeline awaits a new ship Left to right: second engineer Stephen George, Capt David Redgrave, mate/master Peter Crawford, chief engineer Mike Stevens and superintendent Kevin Ayres Picture: Andrew Linington K From tractors to tampons, you name it, we carry everything everyone needs for their day-to-day life,’ says Captain David Redgrave, master of the ferry Scillonian III. The long-running controversy over the seemingly endless reviews of the state aid provisions for the ‘lifeline’ ferry services in Scotland has tended to obscure the similar role being undertaken by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the company, which runs passenger and freight services to the islands, some 30 miles SW of Lands End, and it is a year that could prove crucial to its future. A long-awaited decision on funding for a project to replace the ageing Scillonian III with a new purpose-built vessel and to upgrade the terminal facilities in the Cornish port of Penzance is expected imminently. Former shipping minister Paul Clark underlined the importance of the plans in a House of Commons debate earlier this year — describing the ferry services as ‘an essential lifeline to more than 2,000 islanders’. But they also help to underpin much of the local economy, helping to sustain a flow of visitors to the area — with around threequarters of the jobs in the Isles of Scilly related to tourism. The services — which also include a freight-only ship and a newly-acquired vessel, the Ivor B, to carry building materials for work on a new school — also provide employment to more than 40 seafarers and support staff. Many of the crew members are local people, and many have served with the company for substantial periods. Second engineer Stephen George and purser Marcia Still both joined straight from school, whilst Capt Redgrave joined in 2003 after serving on bunker tankers in Falmouth. ‘This is a great job,’ he says. ‘At this time of year, when the weather is good, it is virtually unbeatable.’ K Capt Redgrave took over as master of Scillonian III earlier this year, following the retirement of Capt David Pascoe after almost 28 years working for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. Mate/master Peter Crawford is now one of the longest serving seafarers — with a grand total of 28 years with the company. Originally a radio officer working on Italian-flagged ships, he re-trained for the deck department following the introduction of GMDSS — gaining some deepsea experience with Curnow Shipping when it operated the RMS St Helena. ‘This is a great place to work,’ he says. ‘The wages can’t compare with deepsea, but when the weather is good there’s no better place than Scilly.’ K Built in 1977, the 1,346gt Scillonian III carries up to 600 passengers and has two cargo holds arranged so that up to six cars and 14 containers can be carried. The vessel’s cargoes have ranged from food to flowers, fuel and fish catches, to beer and boats. ‘Over the years, we have taken just about anything from buses to circuses,’ says Peter. ‘You come to realise just what a lifeline service it is, particularly when the fog comes down and the aircraft can’t fly. Our record speaks for itself — we have to be reliable when so many people depend on us.’ The service really does provide a literal lifeline at times, Capt Redgrave points out. ‘There have been occasions where we have been asked to wait because they can’t fly and need to get blood over to the hospital, or they need to get Loading containerised cargo onto Scillonian III in the port of Penzance someone back with a broken leg. It’s not just transport that we do; this is very much a community service.’ Peter Crawford echoes this point. ‘Lots of the passengers are regulars. We get a huge volume of repeat custom and they all know us by name and know all about us.’ K Scillonian III normally runs between March and November each year, operating a service between Penzance and St Mary’s for six days of the week, whilst the 590gt freight vessel Gry Maritha runs all year round, providing three return voyages a week. Crews normally work two weeks on and one week off. The voyage generally takes two and a half hours — and Peter is quick to point out that some passengers forget that the passage includes time in the Atlantic! Sea states aside, the particular demands of the route include a lot of fishing vessels and pleasure craft to look out for, as well as berthing challenges in northwesterly and south-easterly winds at either end of the service. The area is rich in wildlife, and Scillonian III runs a series of special services in partnership with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust to give passengers the chance to spot birds such as puffins and storm petrels and marine life such as “ It’s not just transport that we do; this is very much a community service ” The 1977-built Scillonian III Picture: Isles of Scilly Steamship
July 2010 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21 MEMBERS AT WORK The 590gt former Norwegian coaster Gry Maritha provides a year-round freight service between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly dolphins and basking sharks. Naturalist Paul Semmens, who serves as a guide on these voyages, says: ‘The Scillonian is probably the best platform from which to see marine life. Last year I made over 750 sighting of at least seven different marine animals — mainly dolphins and porpoises, but with the occasional minke whale.’ Peter Crawford says these trips are also a treat for the crew. ‘It’s a long day for us, but it’s always a big success. We get bird watchers from all over Europe and their enthusiasm really rubs off. We go out to “Wilson’s triangle”, about 65 miles SW of Scilly, and you can get to see anything from turtles to whales and albatrosses — although the jewel in the crown in the Wilson’s petrel.’ K Now 33 years old, Scillonian III was purpose-built in Devon, by Appledore Shipbuilders. The twin-screw ship was bigger and faster than her predecessor — powered by two eight-cylinder Mirrlees Blackstone ESL diesel engines, giving a service speed of 15.5 knots. The engineroom is spotless — a tribute to chief engineer Mike Stevens and second engineer “ When it is all hands to the pump, there is a lot of goodwill from the staff ” Stephen George. ‘Apart from the generators, which were changed just over 10 years ago, it’s all original and it’s a credit to Appledore that it is all still going so well,’ says Stephen. However, a report to Cornwall Council earlier this year warned: ‘The risk of the existing vessels being withdrawn from service due to the need for uneconomic repairs/refits increases the longer the [replacement] project is delayed.’ Not only that, councillors heard, but further extensions to the operating licences of Scillonian III and Gry Maritha ‘must be underpinned by a firm commitment to replace those vessels at the earliest opportunity’. Talks about the future of the ferry link have been going on for more than a decade, and the favoured scheme would see the introduction of a single vessel — costing some £27m — to run the passenger and freight operations. K Linked to a project to upgrade the shoreside facilities, the total cost of the scheme would be in the region of £60m, and would include £34m support from the UK government and a further £11m European funding. As part of the process to develop the project, tenders had to be sought for the running of the ferry service and the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company had to put in a bid against other operators competing to run the link. ‘At the beginning of May, we were told we had been selected as the preferred bidder, with a view to contracts being signed when funding is finally secured,’ says chief executive Jeff Marston. ‘We have fought very hard for this,’ he adds. ‘For a small company such as ours, it has been a big burden and we have had to spend a lot of money. It involved us bringing in consultants, including one from Caledonian Mac- Brayne, who were used to this kind of process.’ Mr Marston describes the current service as ‘a well-oiled machine that is heavily embedded in the community’ — but says replacement tonnage is well overdue. ‘At busy times, when it is all hands to the pump, there is a lot of goodwill from the staff and everyone else as they are not working in ideal conditions and the quays are not covered,’ he points out. The ‘tortuous’ process to secure approval and funding for the new project has created a lot of uncertainties, he adds. ‘Whilst all of this has been going on, we have not sat back and we have done a lot to make sure the company develops and remains successful. ‘We want to be well-prepared for the time when the new ship does arrive, as it will be a new way of working and we hope to bring forward new systems to improve the way in which we handle freight,’ he says. ‘We have to adapt to new ways of doing things, and that process has already started…’ Long history of services c There are more than 100 islands and rocky islets in the archipelago that makes up the Isles of Scilly. Many ships have come to grief in the area — one of the most notable, in recent times, being the flag of convenience cargoship Cita, which ran aground on Newfoundland Point in 1997 after the officer of the watch fell asleep. A succession of different operators, dating back as far as the 18th century, ran shipping services between the mainland and the islands. Fed up with the frequent changes of vessel and operator, inhabitants formed the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company in March 1920 in an attempt to provide a regular and cost-effective link. The first Scillonian vessel began regular trips from Penzance to St Mary’s in February 1926 and, since then, the company has continually operated the service. The first ship to bear the name Scillonian was purpose-built for the service at the Ailsa yard in Scotland in 1925. The second Scillonian came into service in 1956, being built at a cost of £250,000 by the Thornycroft yard in Southampton. Scillonian III — the first passenger ferry to be built by Appledore Shipbuilders in Devon — was delivered within 17 months of the contract being signed and came into service in spring 1977. Named by HRH The Prince of Wales, the vessel has since made more than 6,600 return voyages, and carries around 86,000 passengers every year. The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company — which also runs the inter-island passenger vessel Lyonesse Lady and the cargoship Gry Maritha — employs up to 45 seafarers at peak times. Carrying more than 14,300 tonnes of freight a year, the vessels supply the 2,000-plus inhabitants of the Scilly Isles with almost three-quarters of all the goods they require. Cars and containers in one ofth ftheca ecargo holds softh the Scillonian ian III Picture: Jayne Linington 1st CLASS MARITIME TRAINING IN KENT • 45 MINUTES FROM LONDON • Gleaming machinery in nth theen engineroom of the Scillonian loni III serves ervesase at tribute te to oth the ehi high h standards ards of engineer neer officers Mike Stevens and Stephen George Short Courses to the STCW95 convention: PST, PSCRB, PFRB, GMDSS, Firefighting, First Aid, Personal Safety & Social Responsibility, Efficient Deck Hand, MCA Approved Engine Courses, RYA Qualifications, Ship Security Officer Courses Maritime Open Learning Courses: NVQ Level 3 Deck and Engineering courses leading to STCW. 95 officer of the watch certificates. Courses leading to the MCA’s Super Yacht Qualifications. Distance Learning courses for Marine Surveying, Ship Management and Ship Superintendency, offered in partnership with Lloyds Maritime Academy. Individual courses tailored to suit company requirements, including on board training. For further details, please call 01322 629600 or visit our website at www.nwkcollege.ac.uk/smol
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