Mersey Ferries have now been suspended for a seventh consecutive day.
The river service between Liverpool and Wirral was originally put out of operations last Saturday (October 10) with a ‘technical issue’ cited by management at the time.
However journeys on the Snowdrop ferry remained cancelled on Friday (October 16) with an official statement describing the problem as a ‘mechanical’ one.
The vessel is the only operational service while the Royal Daffodil, which replaced the decommissioned Royal Iris, prepares to enter full service later this month.
Costing £26 million to construct, the new ferry takes the place of its predecessor which was taken out of service in March following 67 years sailing the Mersey.
It is currently completing its final trials before being made available for public use.
“Due to a mechanical issue with the Snowdrop’s engine, we are unfortunately currently unable to run our commuter and Liverpool Sightseeing River Cruise services until further notice,” read a Mersey Ferries statement.
“Passengers travelling on the morning and evening commuter services can continue their journey using the replacement bus service, which operates between Seacombe Ferry Terminal and Hamilton Square railway station.
“Although the Royal Daffodil was undergoing initial passenger trials last week, the vessel has not yet entered full passenger service and is currently unavailable.”