FUNNEL VISION

FIRST NEW MERSEY FERRY FOR DECADES REACHES CONSTRUCTION LANDMARK

- By DAVID HUMPHREYS

THE construction of the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years has reached a significant landmark with the lowering of its funnel.

The 14m high Royal Daffodil's steel structure has now reached completion with officials on target to get the vessel on the River Mersey by next summer.

Standing 3.6 metres tall and weighing around 2.5 tonnes, the funnel will eventually be painted in line with the world-famous Mersey Ferries' traditional red, white and black colour scheme.

The next step in the new build will be to carry out the installation of all the mechanical and electric services to bring the ferry into operation, along with completion of the inte-rior fit-out as well as the internal and external painting.

The £26m Royal Daffodil is due to take to the water in 2026 and will be the first new addition to the Mersey Ferries fleet since the 1960s.

Wirral shipbuilder Cammell Laird, which has played a strategic role in UK shipbuilding for the past 200 years, is constructing the ferry on behalf of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.