As a Londoner I have been following the news on river crossings keenly. I am a strong supporter of cleaner energy and environmentally sustainable transport, and value pedestrian and cycle crossings a great deal. I understand that there have been many problems with the new Woolwich Free Ferry boats, including power management of the hybrid engine systems. I wonder if this in particular has been resolved yet, please? I would also be very glad for the Ferry to be directly managed for the benefit of Londoners, rather than contracted out to unaccountable corporations with poor safety and employment practices. Who oversaw the design and procurement of the new boats, please? They are clearly not fit for purpose, and have given our highly professional and experienced watermen unnecessary aggravation and stress. They are also, in the present design of passenger accommodation, a health hazard. Pigeon muck is present in the open cabins, on the seats and nearby handrails and on the surrounding deck. Children in particular risk illness from contamination, and no passenger can safely sit or wait in the provided space, making travel in wet weather impractical. Staff quite rightly cannot clean these areas - this requires a specialist team equipped with protective breathing equipment. Any intelligent designer could have foreseen and prevented this health hazard. Why was the procurement process so slack and what plans are being made for improvements to all aspects of the Ferry operation? Thanks for your attention,

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TfL Ref: 3565-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 19 February 2020 asking for information about the Woolwich Ferry service.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions and our replies are as follows:

1. Who was responsible for drafting the Specification of the new vessel – the tender specification design was developed by Briggs Marine and their sub-contractor Keel Marine.

2. Who was responsible for procuring the vessel construction project – TfL

3. Who was responsible for ensuring the  vessels were constructed to specification – Briggs Marine oversaw the construction of the vessels, supported by Keel Marine.

4. What plans are being made for improvements to all aspects of the Ferry operation?  We have made the decision to take over the operation and maintenance of the Woolwich   Ferry, for better reliability and customer service, and have agreed with Briggs Marine a short-term extension to the contract while move towards this takeover by the end of the year.

We have held the  vessel manufacturer and its supply chain to account for every technical issue. In the autumn of 2019 we requested an urgent action plan from the ship builder, Remontowa, and a taskforce with engineers was put in place to fix the issues. We continue to work directly with Briggs Marine and key suppliers to ensure that there is 100 per cent focus on improving the resilience of the service.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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