ROYAL IRIS

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Latest news

Royal Iris suffered mechanical problems

The "Royal Iris" was taken off the river on Oct 13, 2016, after suffering mechanical problems with her engine. It was hoped the vessel would be back in service later this week. But after further inspections, engineers now estimated four weeks of repair work were needed at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead.

Ferry ran aground and had to be evacuated

The "Royal Iris" with 69 passengers and a crew of five aboard ran aground on July 10, 2016, at 1.25 p.m. on a day trip on the Manchester Canal from Seacombe, Wirral, along the Manchester Ship Canal to Salford Quays. The accident happened as the vessel approached the entrance to the canal and waited for the dredger "Deo Gloria" to come through from the locks. When the "Royal Iris" passed the dredger, there was a scraping noise. The vessel’s hull was breached, and it suffered water ingress. The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was alerted, a pilot boat “Kittiwake” pulled alongside the dredger, and two fire engines, the Search and Rescue Team and the Marine Fire One Rescue Team attended the scene. The dredger "Deo Gloria" assisted in pumping out water from the ferry and took the passengers and the crew members on board. The dock gates were closed and passengers were helped to disembark from the dredger, which remained alongside the "Royal Iris", onto the quayside. Firefighters assisted in pumping out the water from the ferry while awaiting the arrival of two further tugs. The Port of Liverpool Police, HM Coastguard, RNLI and North West Ambulance Service also attended the incident. There were no reported injuries. The ferry was taken to the Eastham lock system and docked at Eastham. Reports with photos and videos: http://metro.co.uk/2016/07/10/rescue-operation-after-ferry-starts-to-sink-on-river-mersey-5998614/ http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/bolton/14610060.Bolton_man_among_passengers_rescued_from_Royal_Iris_Ferry_after_it_ran_aground/ http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-36758499 http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/529009/cruise-ship-mersey-sink-evacuation-manchester-ship-canal http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/mersey-ferry-starts-sink-firefighters-8391379 http://www.key103.co.uk/localnews/ferry-from-wirral-to-salford-runs-aground-and-starts-to-sink/