Chain

Tender description

This procurement exercise is intended to cover the supply of the next 3 pairs of chains and a further 200 m length of chain to enable replacement of the tunnel chains that attach the main chains to the counterweight gantries of the Torpoint Ferry Service, which runs up to 3 Ferries at a time between Torpoint in Cornwall and Plymouth in Devon providing a vital transport link between the 2 counties. Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council jointly shared responsibility for the operation of the Torpoint Ferry Service which is overseen by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee. The three Torpoint ferries each use 2 650 metre lengths of chain to guide and propel each ferry across the Tamar Estuary. A driven chain wheel grips each chain and pulls the vessel through the water. The chains are normally changed after 3 years in service to maintain their functional requirement and to stay within the Lloyds Register tolerances for acceptable wear. This change periodicity is not binding and is dependent on actual wear, whether that be slower or faster than predicted. The chains are critical to the operation of the ferries and, due to the usual relatively long lead times involved in supply, it has been normal practice to have a spare available at Torpoint in the event of a defect requiring a chain change.