Passengers travelling from St. George's yesterday afternoon were left stranded at sea for over an hour after the MV Bermudian ferry broke down on the North Shore near Grassy Bay.

The Serenity was sent out to pick up passengers and take them to Dockyard and Hamilton.

“The tender Bermudian was departing St. George's but broke down,” a ferry terminal worker said.

Passenger Nancy Wainwright said: “It's rather inconvenient, I'd like to get home tonight. It would be best if they had a contingency plan for when things like this happen.”

Those hit by the breakdown included British Airways passengers.

The Serenity reached Hamilton dock at 7.15 p.m. after the MV Bermudian had broken down at around 5.55 p.m. The Serenity then took those who thought they would be stranded in the city back to their homes in St. George's.

Last night Transport Minister Ewart Brown apologised to passengers and said he was still trying to find out the cause. Two theories are a broken fuel gauge and a lack of fuel. He said he did not know how long passengers had to wait.

“We are not happy when these things happen,” said Dr. Brown. “It is not how we usually treat our passengers.” The MV Bermudian got moving again at around 9 p.m. last night.