Almost all of Bristol's iconic yellow ferry boats would have been destroyed in the Underfall Yard fire if it had happened just a few weeks earlier, the operator has said. The blaze ripped through the harbourside boatyard in the early hours of May 6, ruining structures including the Bristol Ferry Boats workshop and essential maintenance tools and equipment stored there.
Despite what has been described as an "awful loss and added financial pressures", the not-for-profit organisation has now reassured customers that it will continue services as usual after the narrow escape. A statement released today (May 17) revealed that only recently, three of the five ferries in the fleet were at the boatyard for their yearly survey by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The not-for-profit's maintenance manager John Raymond-Barker said: "We are counting ourselves lucky that all of the ferries have undergone their yearly surveys. If this had happened a few weeks ago three of our ferries would have been lost in the fire, although things are going to be tough, we are grateful we can continue to operate."
