The ferry transports passengers and vehicles between the popular Gippsland Lakes town of Paynesville on the mainland and Raymond Island.

It was taken out of operation in October after excessive rust damage and significant pitting to its hull was discovered.

Acora was commissioned to repair the ferry at the Paynesville slipyard and thanks to their efforts, the ferry is due to resume service this weekend, December 16.

The water-damaged panels on the underside of the ferry were cut out and replacement steel welded into place. The process was heavily regulated and each panel was weld tested to ensure the welds were structurally sound.

Acora had a team of up to five workers on site during a four-week period to ensure the deadline of the work was met.

“With long days of grinding, cutting and welding, the team successfully finished within the allocated time frame,” an Acora spokesperson said.

“All welds were completed to X-ray quality and the team did a great job under grueling conditions.”

East Gippsland Council said other tasks that were planned to occur during the original scheduled outage were also carried out, including sandblasting and repainting the entire deck. 

Council CEO Gary Gaffney said the council was pleased with how the works progressed on schedule, ensuring the ferry could return to service as soon as possible.

During the extended outage the ferry was replaced by a pedestrian water taxi to the island with a separate barge for commercial and emergency traffic.

“Our ferry contractor has organised a service to transport groceries from various supermarkets to the Raymond Island Community Hall. Arrangements are also in place to help residents access fuel for the vehicles on the island and prescription medication,” Mr Gaffney added.

Acora said it “thrives on challenges” such as this ferry repair.

“This project was another notch on our belt to show our diversity in any industry and our ability to work under time pressure,” the company spokesperson said.

“For a company in a small coastal town, Acora is striving to be industry leaders in manufacturing.”