With 30 per cent of staff having been contacted by Track and Trace or are self-isolating, Red Funnel have had no option other than to cancel several ferry crossings for today.
Red Funnel has notified passengers that the following scheduled departures will be cancelled.
Island cancellations
Wednesday 14th July and Thursday 15th July, departures from East Cowes:
- 06:30
- 09:30
- 12:30
- 15:30
- 18:30
- 22:30
The final opportunity to depart the Isle of Wight with a vehicle on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th July will be 21:00.
Mainland cancellations
Wednesday 14th July and Thursday 15th July, departures from Southampton:
- 05:00
- 08:00
- 11:00
- 14:00
- 17:00
- 21:00
No need to pre-book another sailing
All passengers booked on one of the cancelled sailings have been contacted and asked to review the options for an alternative sailing time.
There is no need to pre-book another sailing, but passengers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled sailing and show their original e-ticket upon arrival.
For more information, please visit the Website.
Collins: An essential service for many Islanders
Fran Collins, Chief Executive of Red Funnel, said,
“We recognise that recent disruptions to our service have contributed to delays and cancellations, affecting the community in East Cowes. We sincerely apologise to both passengers and the local community.
“Red Funnel provides an essential service for many Islanders, and we want to ensure we are open and transparent with our communications to both our customers and the Island community.”
30 per cent of staff unable to work
Ms Collins went on to explain,
“We would like to address the challenges we are currently facing and update you on what action we are taking to provide our customers and the local community with an efficient and reliable service.
“A number of factors are contributing to current service delays. The increase in popularity of staycations this year has resulted in our service becoming busier than normal. During these busy periods, the current Island Road works have put additional pressure on traffic in the area, amplified by the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
“Despite higher levels than normal of recruitment, currently 30 per cent of our staff are unable to work, with many team members being contacted by the NHS Track and Trace system or self-isolating.”
The ferry company CEO went on to add,
“Lower numbers of shore side staff can make loading and unloading a slower process. On board our ferries, we are required by law to have a certain number of critical roles to ensure the safety of passengers. There is also a minimum staff to passenger ratio required by law, meaning if we are unable to fully staff a sailing, we are unable to accept the maximum number of passengers on board.
“As we prepare for the coming weeks, with restrictions lifting and high volumes of passengers anticipated to be travelling, we are working closely with the Isle of Wight Council on a traffic management plan. This includes increased communication to advise passengers not to arrive at the terminal more than 30 minutes prior to departure during busy times to avoid further congestion on the roads. We will also continue to use our text and email notification system to update passengers who have already booked with us.
“We will continue to keep the community updated as we work hard to improve the essential service we know residents rely on during these challenging times, minimising our effect on the Island infrastructure.”
Article edit
8.30am 14th Jul 2021 – Headline amended to include “unable to work with many”
News shared by Holly on behalf of Red Funnel. Ed
