Ferry chain tender part of regular maintenance

A tender calling for companies to supply drive components for the Raymond Island Ferry is part of a scheduled equipment purchase, East Gippsland Shire Council advises residents.

The contract seeks the supply and delivery of calibrated chain, drive wheels and guide rollers.

As a powered chain driven ferry, the Raymond Island Ferry is guided across McMillan Strait between Paynesville and Raymond Island by the chains, which are attached to both shores.

Council’s Chief Executive Officer Gary Gaffney said the ferry uses two, 170-metre-long chains.

“This is a planned purchase as the ferry chain and its associated components are scheduled to be replaced every three years.

This purchase is not linked to the extended outage experienced late last year,” Mr Gaffney said.

“The associated works required to install the new ferry chain and the related components will be completed by council’s current maintenance contractor.”

Once the successful tenderer has supplied the chain and other components, planned outages will be organised to allow the parts to be replaced.

It is expected there will be two separate planned outages, each lasting approximately two days.

“Our contractors will replace the chain on one side of the ferry during the first outage, and then the other chain during a second outage.

"Council proposes these outages will occur during the quieter times of the day to minimise inconvenience for residents,” Mr Gaffney said.

Council will provide advance notice of these outages through its website, social media channels, Council Noticeboard advertisement, the Raymond Island SMS system, and on the ferry.

Tenders for the contract close on Wednesday, August 8.