Shrewsbury tourist boat Sabrina winched out of the Severn for safety checks
A 30-tonne tourist riverboat has been lifted from the River Severn by a giant crane as part of its biennial inspection.
The Sabrina passenger boat in Shrewsbury was lifted from the river on to Frankwell car park by a 160-tonne crane at about 9am yesterday. Preparation work for strapping the boat into position began at 6am.
The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) conducted its ultrasound and hull inspections, which are carried out every two years.
As part of the inspection the prop, rudder and prop shaft were all examined as well as the health and safety plans for Sabrina Tours Ltd, the company which runs the river trips.
The inspection was hit by delays in both February and March caused by rising river levels which meant it was unsafe to sail the Sabrina under the Welsh Bridge to its position next to the crane outside the council offices.
Dilwyn Jones, managing director of Sabrina Tours Ltd, said: "Every year we have to have an inspection from MCA. They come and test our safety stuff and paperwork which there is a lot of as we carry so many passengers. Then every two years the boat comes clean out of the water for a full inspection looking for any deficiencies or cracks.
"We've had mechanics, welders, boat engineers and painters here today so it's been a stressful day but it was all hands on deck and the inspection itself, which took about four hours, was a success."
He added: "We had quite a wind in the morning so we didn't lift the boat as high as last year – probably up to 30ft – but it's still quite a spectacle and not something you normally see on Frankwell car park."
After a successful inspection the boat was lifted up by the crane and placed back into the River Severn at about 4pm.
The triple deck passenger boat runs 40-minute trips every day between March and October from 11am until 4pm on the hour from Victoria Quay.
