Skerries ferry engine replacement to cost almost £200,000 

Skerries ferry Filla which suffered a "catastrophic" engine failure in February. 

The cost of replacing the Filla‘s port main engine stands at almost £200,000 – a report has found. 

In February, the Filla suffered what was described as a “catastrophic” engine failure and has been out of action ever since – with an expected return to service in early June.

SIC ferries chief Andrew Inkster presented a report during the SIC’s environment and transport committee meeting this morning (Monday) which showed its replacement has an estimated value of £198,785.

North Isles councillor Robert Thomson said he understood there will be a report into the causes of the vessel’s engine failure and questioned if it had been completed and could be made available to councillors.

Mr Inkster responded: “We’re still looking into that, we still have one or two leads we want to follow up on, but once that report is complete I’ll certainly share it with members.” 

Elsewhere in the meeting, infrastructure director John Smith highlighted ageing vessels as as one of the main risks in operating ferry services as  these ferries are “subject to mechanical difficulties from time to time”.