Ben Woollacott Explained

Ben Woollacott is the name of a ship built by Remontowa to serve as part of the Woolwich Ferry service. The ship is named after a teenage deckhand who drowned in an accident while untying mooring ropes of the ferry Ernest Bevin in 2011. Ben came from a family of Thames watermen that had worked on the river for six generations.[1] [2]

The new ferry arrived in London on 15 November 2018.[3] It has an automatic docking system to hold the ferry in place during loading.[3] The vessel operates alongside sister ship Dame Vera Lynn. Both have suffered from numerous technical issues resulting in closures and service reductions, with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan apologising in November 2019 and stating the new ferries "aren't good enough".[4] [5]

Notes and References

  1. News: Ben Woollacott Ferry death report critical of practices . 2 September 2021 . BBC News . 16 August 2012.
  2. Web site: Drowned deckhand given ferry name honour . BBC News . BBC . 16 October 2019 . 6 July 2017.
  3. Web site: Brand new Woolwich Ferry Ben Woollacott arrives in London for the first time to undertake docking trials at North Woolwich . Newsflare . Newsflare Limited . 16 October 2019 . en.
  4. Web site: 7 November 2019 . Sadiq Khan apologises after being accused of 'wasting' £20m on new Woolwich ferries . 2023-03-01 . LBC . en.
  5. Web site: Chamberlain . Darryl . 2023-02-16 . 'Shoddy' Woolwich Ferry closed for two weeks for more upgrade works . 2023-03-01 . 853 . en-GB.

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