A new afternoon fast ferry service due to start running from Hamilton to Rockaway in Southampton yesterday was mysteriously cancelled before its first journey.

A Government press release put out after the 5 p.m. ferry was supposed to leave blamed its postponement on reallocation of resources.

The statement failed to say when the service would start running.

The release said: “The Ministry of Transport apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused and will continue to keep the public informed of any further developments.”

A Government press officer denied rumours that staff were upset about not being informed about the new service.

She said: “That's not the case.”

Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown said he did not know what had caused the cancellation or when the service would be running.

He said: “I am not sure, I just got back. I heard that it had happened. I am waiting for another call from the Director.”

Asked what was meant by a “reallocation of resources”, Dr. Brown said it was either equipment or personnel issues.

He said the Director had told him the new service would be running “as soon as possible”.

Director of Marine and Ports Barry Copeland could not be reached for comment last night.

Staff at the Hamilton terminal told The Royal Gazette that the 5 p.m. Rockaway ferry was cancelled until further notice but refused to say why.

The 5 p.m. service was due to be the fifth afternoon run on the route and will be designed for staff who finish work earlier in the afternoon. However tourists were caught up in the cancellation yesterday.

A couple who identified themselves as Judy and Russ from Maryland turned up for the ferry and were annoyed to find it cancelled.

Judy said: “We thought it was running but now it's not. Now we will have to wait 45 minutes for the next one.

“If it was going to be cancelled they should have posted it on the board. We came through here this morning but there was nothing up.

“We are trying to get back to the Pompano Beach Club.”

Currently, there are four afternoon runs from Hamilton to Rockaway - at 5.30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6.30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Transportation programme coordinator Larry Jacobs said the fast ferries have been “enthusiastically received” by West End commuters since they were launched in April, with more than 31,000 commuters using the morning and afternoon services.

The new service was in response to a survey of commuters, said Mr. Jacobs.

Of those using the ferry, 23 percent are also using the free minibus service to Granaway Heights, Whale Bay and Somerset Bridge.