End of the line for RMS St Helena
The St Helena Government has put the RMS St Helena up for sale and so the ship faces an uncertain future, especially as it is an unusual ship with its dual function as a cargo and passenger vessel. Whatever that future, it seems that it's title 'RMS St Helena' will cease when the vessel returns to Cape Town on its last scheduled voyage on 15th July 2016, as it will no longer serve as the island's mail ship.
The old RMS St Helena made its first visit to Tristan da Cunha in April 1985, and annual trips, allowing import of UK goods to Tristan, continued until 2004. Since then there have been sporadic RMS St Helena trips to Tristan, notably in 2006 for the Quincentenary Cruise, which allowed guests to stay ashore on the island for the first time. It is so unfortunate that this last trip, marking 31 years of Tristan's association with the RMS St Helena, proved to be so brief and bitterly disappointing for passengers planning to stay for four days and three nights, and a community who had worked hard to prepare a warm welcome.
See the RMS St Helena 2016 page for more.