Scillonian III may be ‘resting up’ for the winter, but it’s by no means a quiet period for her crew and maintenance team. Between her last sailing of the year in November and her first sailing in March, our much-loved ship undergoes a period of maintenance to get her ‘ship shape’ ready for the next year – where she will welcome on board more than 160,000 passengers!
Throughout the winter season Scillonian III undergoes vital works to ensure she remains in working condition. All the ship’s systems are tested, surveyed and passed, including onboard fire protection systems and lifesaving equipment.
Keep checking into our maintenance timeline for our regular updates of the behind-the-scenes going’s on for Scillonian III and her busy crew!
SCILLONIAN III MAINTENANCE TIMELINE 2023
Updates listed from newest to oldest.
20TH DECEMBER – SHEILD REFRESH
The iconic shield on the bow of Scillonian III has been returned after a much-needed lick of paint. Well done to the maintenance team – it’s looking great!
7TH DECEMBER – ONGOING WORKS
Our life raft and rescue boat systems passed their routine safety tests.
Winter engine works are ongoing, parts have been removed for cleaning by the team onboard.
Old paintwork is being removed ready for the areas to be reconditioned.
The Scillonian III sign has been removed ready to be repainted and replaced later in the refit.
25TH NOVEMBER – SCILLONIAN III LEAVES DRY DOCK
Scillonian III has now moved back into the wet dock after just over two weeks in Penzance Dry Dock. There was a small delay in coming out of the dry-dock while we awaited suitable tidal and weather conditions.
9TH – 25TH NOVEMBER – DRY DOCK WORKS
During the time spent in the dry-dock the hull has been pressure-washed and anti-fouling re-applied, all life rafts and rescue boats have been removed and sent away for servicing. Fall wires on the davits have been removed, davits prepped and repainted ready to receive new wires before being tested by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The propellors have been polished and various pieces of steelwork have been replaced. The underwater areas of the vessel have been inspected by the MCA and Lloyds Register. The crew have also been busy cleaning and inspecting the sea-water ballast and freshwater tanks and descaling, priming and painting various areas onboard whilst getting ready for further works now approaching.
The move into the wet dock now means we can now enter a period of engineering works, including removing all 16 cylinder heads on the main engines for cleaning.
SATURDAY 9TH NOVEMBER – SCILLONIAN III ENTERS DRY DOCK
Scillonian III moved into Penzance Dry Dock to begin the winter maintenance programme. The vessel will be docked here for a short period of time before returning to the wet dock.
SATURDAY 5TH NOVEMBER – LAST SAILING OF 2022
Always a momentous occasion, our last sailing of the season took place on Saturday, November 5th this year, marking the end of the 45th season transporting passengers to and from the Isles of Scilly. Over the season Scillonian III carried 115,226 passengers, 6,459 dogs and transported over 1,100 tonnes of cargo.