New Vessels | Introduction

For 100 years the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company has provided a lifeline shipping service between Penzance and the islands for passengers and freight.

The current vessel, Scillonian III, was purpose-built for the company in 1977, and had a major refit in 2013. In 1989 the company bought the Gry Maritha freight ship, and she continues to supply the islands to this day.

In 2019 we started turning our attention to replacing these vessels and meeting the future demands of the island community. Having consulted with and listened to the community, we found resilience, reliability, journey time and affordability to be the most important factors for any future services.

A unique route

The sea journey to the Isles of Scilly is unique. It requires vessels that can operate in a variety of sea conditions and within the constraints of Penzance harbour on the mainland and St Mary’s harbour on the islands.

For example, vessels must be able to sit on the seabed during low tide and ships need to have a shallow draft to get into St Mary’s.

We also must consider what might happen in the future because any new vessels will serve the community for decades to come. Climate change means that we could see stronger winds with bigger waves, and the Government plans to decarbonise the marine sector by 2050.