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'Landmark moment' as ferry begins sea trials
Liverpool Echo
|April 16, 2026
HISTORY will be made this week as the first new Mersey Ferry in more than six decades takes to the water for its first sea trials - giving people their first chance to see the brand new Royal Daffodil in action.
The Royal Daffodil at Cammell Laird last November
Painted in Mersey Ferries' famous red, white and black colours, the Royal Daffodil is due to leave Cammell Laird's shipyard in Birkenhead tomorrow where she has spent two years under construction.
The ferry was first floated on the river last November and moved to the shipyard's test basin to be fitted out internally.
The start of sea trials is a highly visible, landmark moment and comes just a fortnight after the Royal Iris of the Mersey was retired and the 'Dazzle Ferry' Snowdrop resumed services on the river.
This story is from the April 16, 2026 edition of Liverpool Echo.
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