Scillonian III will be returning to service on Monday (March 19th) after spending the winter in Penzance Dry Dock undergoing annual maintenance and modern upgrades.

The ship’s crews have been busy over the winter preparing the iconic passenger ferry for her first trip of the year to the Isles of Scilly. The ship is now in her 40th year of service and has carried over four million passengers between Penzance and St Mary’s.

Pupils from St Mary’s Church of England School in Penzance and the Five Islands School in the Isles of Scilly will be welcoming Scillonian III back into service by waving flags on the quay at Penzance and St Mary’s on Monday when Scillonian III makes her first sailing of 2018.

Passengers travelling on Scillonian III this season will notice some impressive upgrades on board with a new coffee shop, Western Rocks Coffee Co, and WiFi available for passengers to use throughout the ship.

Marcia Still, Ship’s Purser, said: “We are excited to see how Scillonian III’s new WiFi service is going to be received by our passengers during her first sailing. It is the first time we have been able to provide this service on board and we think it is fantastic news for the people sailing with us.

“In addition to the annual maintenance and repainting, the two café areas of Scillonian III were also refreshed over the winter offseason. We have now launched a new coffee shop in these spaces – Western Rocks Coffee Co.”

Throughout the winter season Scillonian III undergoes vital maintenance to ensure she remains in working conditions. All the ship systems are tested, surveyed and passed, including onboard fire protection systems and lifesaving equipment.

This year in addition to maintenance checks and refreshing the paintwork, crews also updated the ships two cafés installing a new coffee shop and a WiFi system on board the ship ensuring all passengers have access to the internet during their journey.

Book your crossing to the Isles of Scilly today aboard Scillonian III.