There are troubles at Red Funnel this morning as both the Red Jet and one vehicle ferry are out of action.
The difficulties began earlier this morning with the 7am Southampton to East Cowes vehicle ferry delayed by 30 – 40 mins due to operational reasons. This had a knock-on effect on the 8.30am from East Cowes, delaying that for 30 mins.
Cancellations
Now the 10am from Southampton and 11:30am from Cowes have both been cancelled due to a technical issue (see update below).
RedJet suspended
In addition the 8:15am Southampton to West Cowes Red Jet was cancelled due to technical issue, and the service is now suspended.
Wightlink woes
This comes at a time when Wightlink are dealing with the fallout of a week of disruption, as Victoria of Wight is taken out of service due to mechanical failure.
Passengers have shared their frustration at being switched to crossings at inconvenient and unsociable hours.
Be kind to staff
Staff on the ground at both ferry companies will be working as hard as they can to solve these problems, so remember to be kind, it’s not their fault.
Red Eagle out of service
A spokesperson for Red Funnel said,
“We are experiencing significant disruption to our timetable this morning which we expect to impact sailings throughout the day. This follows a routine technical inspection which resulted in the need to remove one of our ferries, the Red Eagle, from service to allow for repairs to be made.
“The safety of our passengers and team is our number one priority and we are working hard to keep traffic moving with Red Falcon and Red Osprey. We will issue an update on Red Eagle’s return to service as soon as we have more information.”
RedJet back in service
The spokesperson went on to say,
“Unfortunately, we have also experienced an issue with the sound signalling equipment onboard Red Jet 7 which led to a temporary suspension of the Red Jet service this morning.
“We can confirm that this has now been addressed and Red Jet 7 is back in service as of 10:55.”
Excessive congestion
They finished by adding
“We understand Island Roads roadworks and a burst water main are contributing to excess traffic and congestions in and around East Cowes, therefore we advise anyone travelling today to arrive no sooner than advised and to check the service status on the Red Funnel Website where updated departure and arrival times are available.
“For customers without a booking today, we advise you not to travel to our terminals. For passengers who have the flexibility or who would prefer and are able to amend their crossing to an alternative date, this can be done via our Website.
“We do appreciate that this will disrupt people’s plans for today and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
Leader:
Isle of Wight council leader, Cllr Lora Peacey Wilcox, told News OnTheWight,
“As an Islander, I know how choosing to live on an Island is challenging. We have been dealt terrible blows with a number of sailings cancelled to and from the Island.
“I can assure you, the carriers both Red Funnel and Wightlink never want these things to happen. They fully understand the sheer upset and inconvenience of passengers and also frustration of their staff. They sincerely apologise.
“They are working quickly to resolve the incidents in the interest of safety to all; and to that end Red Funnel are also going to try and arrange extra trips to further minimise the impact on East Cowes, lets hope they can!”
Article edit
12.01pm 18th Jun 2021 – Statement from Red Funnel added
12.45pm 18th Jun 2021 – Statement from LPW added
