New £26m Mersey Ferry Royal Daffodil will sail on the river under its own power for the first time this week ahead of its introduction into service in June. Tony McDonough reports

Royal Daffodil will be the first new Mersey Ferry to come into service in more than 60 years in June and is this week is set to take to the Mersey under its own power for the first time.

Funded by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Royal Daffodil has been built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead. Construction on the vessel started in January 2025 and she first appeared on the river in November.

She is replacing Royal Iris which was finally taken out of service at the end of March. Currently the Mersey Ferries commuter services and river cruises are being undertaken by the remaining ferry Snowdrop.

A target date for Royal Daffodil’s introduction into service has been set for later this year but first the vessel must undergo sea trials and they will begin this week.

READ MORE: GPH paid £12.5m to take over Liverpool’s cruise terminal

Painted in Mersey Ferries’ historic red, white and black colours, Royal Daffodil is due to leave Cammell Laird’s shipyard in Birkenhead on Thursday.

As part of a complex, carefully coordinated process, the trials will assess the 750-tonne ferry’s operational performance, control systems, propulsion power and manoeuvrability.

Onboard engineers will put the navigation and communication systems through their paces, test passenger safety features such as alarms and lifesaving equipment, plus carry out berthing operations at the Seacombe and Pier Head terminals. The 50-metre-long ferry will reach around 12 knots during the two-day test period.

Sea trials are a requirement for any new commercial ship or boat. Royal Daffodil will already have undergone basic safety checks on propulsion, steering and safety systems in sheltered waters.

But sea trials out in the Mersey Estuary will challenge the ferry’s seaworthiness much more robustly as it will face strong currents, tides, waves and winds. All the vessel’s safety systems must be tested under real-life scenarios before it receives its certification to operate in service.

And this process also allows fine tuning of the ferry and the chance to detect any issues or teething problems. It also gives crews the opportunity to familiarise themselves with Royal Daffodil.

Gary Evans, director of customer and operations at Mersey Ferries, said: ““This is a landmark moment for Liverpool city region and for the future of Mersey Ferries.

“This is the first ever Mersey Ferry commissioned and built with a leisure focus in mind and this key milestone of first operational sea trials brings us a step closer to welcoming a modern vessel that celebrates the river’s heritage while supporting services for generations to come.”