ERIKS IN ACTION
Getting Torpoint Ferry back on track Mahesh Patel Engineering Manager
Just imagine. Public safety at risk, severe commuter delays, and a media frenzy all hit at once. Now throw in a global pandemic. You can understand why many thought they were fighting the impossible. But as the Great Nelson Mandela once said: “It always seems impossible until it gets done.”
The largest chain ferry service in the world Having previously completed a guide chain tray sheave project at Torpoint Ferry Terminal, ERIKS Power Transmission Product Business Unit were invited back to investigate critical failures on the gantry sheaves at the port which were causing severe disruption to service.
Just so you get a feel for the scale and importance of the project, the Torpoint Ferry is the largest chain ferry service in the world, and the UK’s busiest inland waterway crossing, catering for the demands of 8,000 vehicles and 1,500 pedestrians every day, operating 24/7/365 regardless of conditions. With service already reduced with one ship out of commission due to a scheduled 14-week overhaul, the potential for a second ferry down was increased, worrying terminal staff and the local community. Understandable considering maximum capacity was only three ferries. Pressure from the media was heating up, two-hour delays were being touted, and serious impacts to commuters in the pipeline, if a resolution wasn’t found, and quickly.
The pandemic hit Investigation complete. Plan devised. Great start. From scratch, ERIKS Engineering Projects Team were to design, configure, manufacture, and supply the correct components to enable the tricky rebuild of the gantry sheaves at either end of the port. But problems hit early that were out of ERIKS’ control. Cue the impacts of COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed by the then first lockdown.
ERIKS engineering team didn’t share this lack of confidence Issue 42
