Following last week’s disruption to Red Funnel’s Red Jet service, the issues had been rectified and the vessel was back in service on Monday morning.
However, today (Tuesday) further problems arose.
A spokesperson from Red Funnel told News OnTheWight,
“This afternoon, Red Jet 7 experienced a low fuel pressure alert on the port outer main engine during the 12.15 sailing from Southampton to West Cowes.
“This required us to immediately remove the vessel from service, returning it to Southampton for urgent repair.
“Tugs escorted Red Jet 7 back to Southampton, where she arrived at approx. 13:15 carrying 54 passengers.
“The majority of those passengers boarded the 14:00 vehicle ferry, with some opting for the next Red Jet at 14:55.”
Possibility more crossings may need to be cancelled
They went on to add,
“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our number one priority and at this time, the 13:35 service from Southampton, and 14.15 service from West Cowes have been cancelled to allow for repairs to be made to Red Jet 7.
“There is a possibility that more crossings may need to be cancelled. We will issue another update along with further updates to our live service status as soon as we have more information. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to some of our passengers.
“Our engineers are working hard to get Red Jet 7 back in service as quickly as possible. We encourage customers to consider using our vehicle ferry service as an alternative option, which is currently running to timetable.”
Update 1
A Red Funnel spokesperson said,
“Following an assessment by our engineers, our team is working to repair Red Jet 7 following a low fuel pressure alert on the port outer main engine. The 16:55 and 18:15 services from Southampton and the 17:35 and 18:55 services from West Cowes have been cancelled to allow essential repairs to be made.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause and we are keeping customers updated through text alerts, social media updates and our live service status. We will provide a further update this evening with details of any further changes to the timetable.”
Update 2
A Red Funnel spokesperson said,
“We have reviewed the repairs required on Red Jet 7 and works are due to continue until tomorrow morning. The 06:15, 07:35 and 08:55 services from Southampton and the 06:55, 08:15 and 09:35 services from West Cowes have been cancelled to enable these essential repairs to be made.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause and we are keeping customers updated through text alerts, social media updates and our live service status. Our engineers are working hard to get Red Jet 7 back in service as quickly as possible. We encourage customers to consider using our vehicle ferry service as an alternative option, which is currently running to timetable.”
Live service status information is available on the Website.
Article edit
4.20pm 19th Oct 2021 – Update with more cancellations added
7.06pm 19th Oct 2021 – Update with more cancellations added
Image: © Jake Sugden Photography
