ANOTHER delay for new Isles of Scilly ferry service launch as boss quits

A planned new ferry service to the Isles of Scilly has hit choppy waters as its boss quit and it has now postponed its launch by over a week. The first Scilly Ferries crossing from Penzance was due to take place on Monday (July 22) but, as reported by CornwallLive was earlier today postponed to the next day.

Now it appears to have been pushed back by seven more days to July 30 - the soonest passengers are currently able to book on the Atlantic Wolff catamaran via the company's website - Scilly Ferries having been created as part of shipbuilder Harland & Wolff (H&W), which is behind the whole ferry operation. The change has occurred within the past hour, as trips were bookable for Monday early this morning and then from Tuesday onward later this morning.

A passenger who was due to travel on Monday and only booked it first thing today confirmed they were sent an email about the cancellation later this morning. They tried to re-book to be on the first-ever crossing on Tuesday only to find none available until a week later.

There is no mention of any problems on the company's Facebook page where the last post is about the arrival of the new ferry, Atlantic Wolff, in Penzance Harbour this week, and there is no mention on its website.

And the chaos follows the resignation of H&W's chief executive as it emerged that the firm, which operates the Appledore shipyard in north Devon, will not receive a government loan guarantee. John Wood was said to be "taking a leave of absence from his role as CEO with immediate effect".

The shipbuilder had applied for a £200m loan guarantee, which was considered vital for its financial stability. The company says it is in now discussions with its existing lender and hopes to secure new finance within days. It had also hired an investment bank to "assess strategic options". That can mean a company is considering putting itself up for sale, reports the BBC.

For months shipbuilder Harland & Wolff (H&W) has been making waves with its plans to take on Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (IOSSG) which had a monopoly on travel to the archipelago via its Scillonian III ferry and flights from Land's End airport until the launch of Penzance Helicopter's flights a few years ago. H&W planned a new passenger and freight ferry of its own.

The firm has since acquired local freight firm KMS, which was rebranded Harland & Wolff Marine Services, providing two freight vessels between the islands, via the main island St Mary's, and mainland Cornwall.

After some delays the Atlantic Wolff passenger catamaran sailed from a shipyard in Portsmouth to Newlyn on Tuesday (July 16) ahead of its intended maiden voyage to the Isles of Scilly on Monday (July 22), as new firm Scilly Ferries, promising a 90-minute trip, over an hour quicker than Scillonian III's at two hours and 45 minutes. It also claimed it would be cheaper but that's not always the case, as you can see in our direct comparisons here.

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Now it seems this will not happen until at least July 30. Scilly Ferries has not yet replied to CornwallLive's request for comment.

However, when we asked about Monday's trips via the Scilly Ferries contact page, it confirmed the postponement. It replied: "Unfortunately, we have had to alter our timetable slightly. The Atlantic Wolff is now in Penzance and is currently undertaking berthing trials both at Penzance quay and St Mary's Harbour over the weekend, however, operations have advised these will not be quite complete by the 22nd and we are now looking at a start date of 23rd."

It has not responded to a request for comment about the further postponement either.

Russell Downs, a restructuring expert, is joining the firm as interim executive chairman. In a statement, the company said: "He is well placed to lead the Board at this time as it seeks to complete a recapitalisation intended to give the Company a sustainable financial footing into the medium and long term."

The UK business secretary is expected to make a parliamentary statement about the shipbuilder on Monday.

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