Name of first new Mersey Ferry in 60 years revealed during key shipbuilding milestone

The name of the first Mersey Ferry to be built in more than 60 years has been revealed.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram revealed she will bear the name The Royal Daffodil during a ceremony to celebrate laying the vessel’s keel, a key stage in construction, at Birkenhead’s Cammell Laird shipyard this morning (January 10).

She will be the sixth Mersey Ferry to bear the name first used in the early 1900s, when she enters service in the summer of 2026.

Steeped in centuries of maritime tradition, keel laying traditionally involved the mast being lowered on to a coin placed inside a newly built boat as a symbol of good fortune for the vessel and its crew.

The days of large sailing ships are gone. However, the custom continues in modern shipbuilding and marks the beginning of full vessel assembly.

Mayor Rotheram was joined at the event by David McGinley, Group Chief Executive Officer of Cammell Laird parent, APCL Group, as well as engineers and apprentices who are working on the vessel.

Also taking part in the ceremony was special guest Nurse Nadine Maguire of end-of-life care charity Marie Curie, whose symbol is the daffodil.

Nurse Maguire was invited to lay the special commemorative coin on the new ferry’s keel block in recognition of the important work the charity does to support people across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.

The keel laying ceremony follows months of design, steel cutting and preparatory work on the new ferry which will be built entirely at the Wirral shipyard.

Steve Rotheram said: “The world-famous Mersey Ferries have inspired hit songs and best-selling books – they’ve attracted visitors from around the world and they’ve connected communities on both sides of the River Mersey for hundreds of years. They are an instantly recognisable symbol of our city region, around the globe.

“That’s why I’m delighted to announce that the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years will retain the iconic name and historic title carried by some of the best-loved vessels in our fleet, the Royal Daffodil.”

He added: “Over the coming months the Royal Daffodil will start to take shape, with a design that blends the modern and the traditional, and with facilities that will improve passenger experience. A ferry fit for the 21st century, built right here in the Liverpool City Region.”

Source: Neil Hodgson   'The Business Desk'  Jan 2025