Gry Maritha Built in 1980, the Gry Maritha is a Norwegian cargo ferry. Originally built for the Norway fjord trade, she was commissioned for Captain Tor Sevaldsen of Bindalseidet, and named after his young daughter. The ship was built and launched at the end of a fjord north of Trondheim, and came to Penzance in 1989, when she was purchased by The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, to supplement their cargo-carrying capacity to the islands. She is 140 feet long and can carry approximately 500 tons of freight, utilising a six ton wide radius crane. During the run-up to the annual pilot gig championships in the islands, she can transport up to nine gigs on her deck. She carries palletized cargo on two decks, has capacity to transport chilled and frozen goods, and also supplies all the islands fuel requirements. She is the lifeline to the islands, carrying on her service throughout the winter months, often through appalling weather, long after the steamer has been laid up for the maintenance during the off-season.
