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Winter storms have prevented the new £1.9m Shields Ferry, Spirit of the Tyne, travelling to her new North East England home. Construction and fitting-out work on the vessel has been completed by shipbuilder VT Halmatic at its yard in Portchester, Hampshire. A tug is ready to begin the four day tow that will bring Spirit of the Tyne to her new mooring in South Shields. But clear weather is needed, and the severe winter storms seen over the last few days have prevented her setting sail. Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus, said: “Our ferry crew are very keen to see Spirit of the Tyne arrive on the river so they can begin training. “Spirit of the Tyne represents a big investment in the ferry service by Nexus and the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority – the crossing is vital for people reaching jobs, shops and other services on both sides of the river. “We will have to wait for the weather, but this won’t affect the day-to-day service we offer.” Spirit of the Tyne will enter service in the spring alongside Pride of the Tyne after an extensive training period for the crew. She will replace Shieldsman, which has carried more than 10 million passengers in 30 years of service on the Tyne. Her commissioning crowns £5m of investment in the Shields Ferry service over the last decade, with new landings built on both sides of the river. More than 500,000 people use the Shields Ferry annually, with numbers increasing as people access jobs on both sides of the river. The Shields Ferry is part of Stephenson Link, a public transport corridor including Route 19 bus and Metro at Percy Main and Northumberland Park that connects South Shields with Royal Quays, Cobalt and Silverlink business parks and the growing Northumberland Park residential area. Specialist shipbuilder VT Halmatic were contracted to build the new ferry in the Netherlands and Hampshire following an international tendering process.
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