How many days was Elizbath Castle closed due to operational problems of the Amphibious Ferry Service

1240/5(3498)

WRITTEN QUESTIONS TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE BY DEPUTY S.S.A.P. POWER OF ST. BRELADE

ANSWERS TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 9th OCTOBER 2007

Question

1. Would the Minister advisemembershowmany days that ElizabethCastlehad to close during2007 due to – ( a ) the late arrival in Jersey oftheAmphibiousVehicleknownastheCastleFerry,

( b ) the number of recorded breakdowns to date of the Castle Ferry,

(c )  the non-operational nature or other problems directly associated with the Castle Ferry that closed

Elizabeth Castle for any other reason?

2. Would the Minister advise theAssemblyoftheadmission figures toElizabeth Castle for the comparable periods in 2006and2005 and would he further advise whether the estimated cost,intermsof loss of revenue to the Jersey HeritageTrust caused by these enforcedclosures, will be recovered from the new operator?
3. When are the two newamphibious machines referred to in the awardof the new operating contract(2007) due to arrive in Jersey, when will the existing machine cease service and doeshe intend to review the operating contract of the newoperatorinlightof the firstseason'sexperience?
4. Would the Minister advise -

( a ) how many persons were admitted and attended the event held at Elizabeth Castle on 28th July 2007, how

many people, if any, were stranded at the Castle after midnight, owing to a breakdown of the Castle Ferry and what time the Castle authorities finally evacuated and closed the Castle on the morning of Sunday 29th July?

( b ) w h e ther the States of Jersey Police asked for a meeting with the Jersey Heritage Trust owing to this

incident to review operating procedures and contingencies?

Answer

1. During 2007ElizabethCastlehadtoclose for 63 days due to the late arrival in Jersey of the Amphibious Vehicle knownastheCastleFerry.

T h ere have been nine breakdowns or mechanical failures of the Castle Ferry to date, resulting in castle being

closed for 30 hours.

O  ther problems which affected the ferry service leading to a closure of the Castle were due to the weather:

five full days, 23 partial days. Total hours = 116 hours. By way of additional information I would like to add that in 2006, there were three full days, six partial days and an additional 11 hours (estimate 53 hours) of closure due to adverse weather conditions.

2. The admission figures toElizabethCastleforthecomparable periods in 2006 and2005wereas follows:

    A dmission figures start of season - end September

2005 42,240

2006 37,615

2007 21,726

A dmission figures from 4 June (start of 2007 season at EC) - end September 2 0 0 5 2 8 ,395

2 0 0 6 2 7 ,952

2 0 0 7 2 1 ,726

T h e estimated loss of income will be recovered by the Jersey Heritage Trust from the new operator.

3. The new vessels are due to arrive in Jersey this October.Howeveras there is less than onemonthleftof the season (closes 5th November) it is envisaged that the two new vessels will begin operating the service at the start of 2008 season.

The Jersey Heritage Trust will be reviewing the contract with the new operators.

4. With regard to the event held at Elizabeth Castleon28th July 2007, 6.30pm – 2am. There were 1,500guests, of which640 were delivered on the Castle Ferry. Noguestswere stranded aftermidnight.Theeventfinished at 2am.The castle wasclearby 2.20am bysecurity staff hiredby the event organisers in accordance with the eventplan.The guests either walked back acrossthe beach or took coachor Castle Ferry as arranged in the plan. Thecausewaywaslit.

T h e only unfortunate incident that occurred with the Castle Ferry was on the outbound journey to the castle

when a mechanical fault slowed the vessel down which resulted in guests arriving at the Castle later than anticipated.

A  ll transport arrangements and payments of the Castle Ferry outside of Jersey Heritage Trust opening hours

are arranged directly between the operator and event organisers.

T h e States of Jersey Police have not requested a meeting with the Jersey Heritage Trust.