THE Condor Liberation should be sailing again by the weekend after more than six weeks out of service in dry dock.

Ferry bosses suspended sailings on the troubled vessel in late October, after a routine dive inspection revealed propulsion system problems.

The fast ferry, which was pulled from service the day after the inspection, had been scheduled to enter dry dock a fortnight later - in early November - for annual maintenance.

In October, bosses said she’d be back in service by December 13.

Yesterday, Condor Ferries confirmed maintenance work had finished, she’d been refloated at the weekend and was already running sea trials

Yesterday, a Condor Ferries spokesman said: “Condor Liberation is scheduled to return to her home port of Poole in time to resume normal service this week, after completing her annual dry dock. The ferry was re-floated at the weekend after undertaking routine sea trials (stormy weather permitting), before resuming her planned services between Poole and the Channel Islands this weekend.”

Revised sailings were scheduled on both the northern and southern routes between October 25 and November 6 - when the vessel entered dry dock early. The technical issues were thrown up during a routine inspection in Guernsey, then the vessel was re-inspected while moored in Poole.

“Unfortunately damage was detected in the three jet propulsion buckets which are part of the directional guidance systems,” said the company at that time.

Condor Rapide has been operating cross-channel services to maintain passenger links between St Malo and the Channel Islands, and additionally between the islands and Poole, while the Liberation has been out of service.

The October incident was another in a list of technical issues which have hit Condor Liberation since her arrival in Poole.

In 2015 she suffered electrical problems, bad weather and struck the quay at St Peter Port in Guernsey, when berthing in strong winds.

The company issued an open letter of apology to customers and launched an independent review into its ‘suitability and performance’.

Sailings were also cancelled during June 2016 due to an engine fault following a spell with the ferry running on reduced power.

While at dry dock in Falmouth a full service of Liberation’s exhaust systems and engines have taken place.