New Strangford ferry named and bravery award for crew member

The new MV Strangford II ferry, operating between Strangford and Portaferry, has been officially named by HRH the Duke of Kent at a ceremony on board today.

Since the new ferry was brought into service in early February it has completed approximately 7000 sailings, with the service providing typically 99.8% availability on an annual basis.

During the ceremony, ferry crew member John Nixon was also presented with a commendation from the Royal Humane Society for his bravery and action in assisting in saving the life of a woman during an incident at Portavogie harbour in April 2016.

John recovered three people from the water and commenced First Aid support to a woman until the Ards Peninsula First Responders arrived and gave further help.

Notes to editors: 

1. During normal operations one vehicle ferry is in operation with the other available for service if needed. The MV Strangford II works alongside the MV Portaferry II on a service rotation to allow inspection and maintenance of each ferry to be carried out without any reduction in service to the public. On busy holidays both ferries are in operation.
2. John Nixon has been a crew member of Strangford ferry for five years. 
3. Ards Peninsula First Responders Scheme comprises local citizens trained in First Aid, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automatic External Defibrillators (AED). They offer ‘added value’ to both the residents of the BT22 postal code area and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) by attending addresses and locations from where a 999/112 call has been made. The scheme has been operational since February 2015 and the volunteers have been tasked by NIAS to over 300 emergencies.

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