Red Funnel has announced it will be extending its winter timetable into the first few days of April in addition to reverting to winter hours for an 11-day period later in April.
The timetable changes are the result of the operator needing more time to carry out essential maintenance to its vehicle ferries as a consequence of unpredictably prolonged and complex engine repair works onboard Red Eagle.
Red Eagle’s delayed return means annual maintenance which is legally required to take place on Red Osprey and Red Falcon will also be delayed, resulting in some impact to Red Funnel’s scheduled vehicle ferry timetable.
The operator has announced changes to its timetable as follows:
- 31st March to 5th April – continued winter timetable
- 6th April to 16th April – summer timetable
- 17th April to 27th April – reverts back to winter timetable
- 28th April to 31st Oct – summer timetable
Customers contacted
Customers with affected bookings (31st March to 5th April and 17th – 27th April) will be contacted by email if their sailing time has changed. Many customers are unaffected by changes, but where changes are required, the majority of customers will find that their crossing time has only changed by 30 minutes.
To ensure continuity for essential freight and free more space on its vehicle ferries, Red Funnel will also operate additional Red Kestrel freight ferry sailings on key dates in April.
Collins: Unexpectedly complicated engine repairs
Fran Collins, CEO at Red Funnel, said,
“We are very disappointed to have to make these timetable changes.
“The issues we’ve encountered with Red Eagle’s engine repair have been unexpectedly complicated and our teams have been working tirelessly to return the vessel to service as quickly as possible.
“We are doing everything we can to resume our scheduled timetable, but unfortunately these circumstances are beyond our control, and we are sorry that some customers will be affected by the delay.”
Red Funnel’s updated vehicle ferry timetable information can be found on the Website.
News shared by Josey on behalf of Red Funnel. Ed
