The ship will operate her usual schedule offering overnight travel from Guernsey and Jersey to Portsmouth with a daytime return.
During the biennial dry dock in Falmouth, extensive work was undertaken including a major servicing of the Clipper’s port main engine and gearbox, ride control system, alternator and overhaul of the ship’s shaft seals. Life-saving equipment, monitoring and alarms systems were also repaired and upgraded.
Paul Luxon, Condor’s CEO, confirmed that the refit of the Clipper was part of a fleet-wide investment by the company to maintain lifeline services for the Islands. He explained: “All of our ships require regular repairs and servicing for us to provide year-round freight and passenger operations and this is in the order of £7.5 million annually. The work alone on the Clipper, which is undertaken every other year, costs around £2.7 million.”
Mr Luxon added that passengers will also notice some improvements on board. He said: “We have refurbished the lounge and restaurant and parts of the vessel will also be repainted. I am delighted that our recently launched Wi-Fi service will also be available on the Clipper following installation of the necessary satellite equipment.”
To cover the Clipper’s freight commitments during the dry dock, Condor Ferries chartered the MV Arrow which is being retained whilst the Commodore Goodwill enters dry dock for three weeks on 12 October for routine and remedial repair work.