Revealed: The mounting costs of the Island's grounded chain ferry

This week, the Isle of Wight County Press can reveal how much the replacement foot passenger launch has cost, in the six months to August, alongside the price of the yellow barge, used to steady the troubled chain ferry in the water.

Scroll down for the figures...

The Cowes-East Cowes chain ferry service was taken out for routine maintenance in July and has not yet returned to the water. 

In the most recent update, its restart date was delayed again - from this week to the October half term.

Read more: Further delay for Floating Bridge — no full service until half term

The Isle of Wight Council claims the floating bridge ran for 193 of the 195 days, between January 1 and July 13.

However, it appears that includes days when it ran for a time, before it broke down or was taken out of service.

In January, it developed a generator fault, in February it was suspended for tests on the spring tide and in March it was suspended for an afternoon to allow for a ‘guide wheel’ to be fixed. 

Then, on July 13, the chain ferry went off for routine maintenance and did not return - after a fault was found with its hydraulic system.

(The Jenny boat runs a pedestrian launch)

In its absence, a replacement foot passenger launch covers the route across the River Medina.

In the six months to August, the Jenny boat cost nearly £80,000.

Its £77,797.50 bill, for daily service (which does not cover the floating bridge’s full timetable), does not include the use of a second launch, introduced at peak times in September, when children returned to school. 

(Image: Noel Turner Brooks)

Between January and the end of June, a barge helped push the chain ferry into place as it docked.

It cost £299.71 per hour - and was used for 213.5 hours - racking up a total cost of nearly £64,000, between January and June.

In 2018, the County Press reported the MV Seaclear was costing £192 per hour to run, its presence justified as a 'short-term solution'.

Read more: Revealed — the cost of the barge pushing the Cowes Floating Bridge

County Hall has confirmed that nothing has been paid to cover remedial works by naval architects BCTQ or boat builders Mainstay Marine this year.

However, £22,830.49 went to Wight Shipyard for noise mitigation works.

Talks are now underway between the Council and the boat's designers and builders, and legal action is a step closer.