Maritime work can be unpredictable. What looks to be a simple seven-minute crossing still needs an attentive crew who are trained and prepared for any eventuality on the water.
Owned and operated by Nexus, who also run the Tyne and Wear Metro system, the Shields Ferry provides an important service with regular crossings over the River Tyne between North Shields and South Shields.
Nathan Williamson, Ferry Skipper Team Leader of the Shields Ferry talked us through what a typical day in the life of a Ferry Skipper looks like. He himself is responsible for the safety of passengers and crew aboard the vessel during the crossing.
“The ferry master is the person who is in charge of the vessel. They’re in charge of the safety of the passengers and the vessel, and it’s their job to get passengers backward and forwards safely whilst keeping the crew safe and adhering to all regulations that are required for us to operate,” explained Nathan.
"To be able to drive the vessel, helm the vessel, you need what’s called a boat master’s license. And that’s a license that lets you take command of a vessel with passengers on. And the test is pretty much like a driving test, you’ve got to take the vessel out and demonstrate that you know what to do in all emergency situations."
Nathan is one of the youngest skippers of the Shields Ferry, having acquired his boat master's license at the age of 20. In his time working aboard the Ferry he has gained experience across every job role, progressing through the ranks to reach his current role as Ferry Skipper Team Leader.
“On the vessel, you’ve got a second mate, a first mate, a ferry master, then a ferry master/team leader.”
“With my role now I train the new ferry masters, or the future ferry masters, people who take their boat master’s license. So it’s nice and refreshing that I can be part of their future now and train them up to get to a skipper where with some people it can be a dream like it was my own dream."
The First Mate on the Shields Ferry, Darren Robson, also holds his boat master's license. He takes over control of the vessel from Nathan during his breaks so that the Ferry service can continue without interruption.
Darren said, "on a normal day you’re, just dealing with customers, getting people where they need to be. You see the regulars, you get them to work every day.”
“There’s a lot of training to be prepared for the things that might go wrong but very rarely do. You know, if everything’s running right it’s not too demanding, but it’s quite rewarding.”
Nathan described how the seemingly repetitive crossing of the River Tyne actually holds a lot of variety day to day, “Working on the river, things can change. Every crossing, some people say to me ‘do you ever get bored?’ And the answer to that is no because every crossing is different."
"It can be anything that can be thrown at you, not just issues with the vessel it can be outside things like emergency situations.”
As though to illustrate the unpredictability, whilst filming with the Shields Ferry crew an incident took place where a man attempted to swim across the river. The Ferry was on stand-by should it be needed to offer assistance, but thankfully the man was rescued without issue.
David Punton, Communications Officer for Nexus said, “The pilot boat and the lifeboat attended the scene and a man was spotted and rescued from the water by the crew of the pilot boat."
“The Shields Ferry crew are specially trained to rescue people from the water in the event they are required to do so, although they were not called upon during this incident.”
A day in the life of a Shields Ferry skipper can be exciting, or it can be simple and uneventful. It's the uncertainty of what each day brings that gives the job a unique appeal and forces the crew to always be ready for the tides to change.
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