Red Funnel is set to bring fast ferry construction back to the UK with the announcement that its new passenger ferry Red Jet 6 will be built in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
After receiving tenders from shipyards around the world, the company has placed an order for a 40m high-speed catamaran with Shemara Refit for delivery in summer 2016. Costing £6m, Red Jet 6 will be the first vessel of her kind to be built in the UK for 15 years.
Aluminium fast ferries have been designed and built on the Isle of Wight in the past. Three pioneering Solent class catamarans were built by FBM Marine in Cowes for Red Funnel in 1991, 1992 and 1998 and FBM’s customers included the Ministry of Defence and Thames Clippers. Vessels were also constructed for operators in Portugal, Greece and Asia and large 45m and 53m TriCat catamarans were built between 1995 and 1999 for service in Greece, Hong Kong and Macau. The Cowes shipyard closed in 2000, marking the end of building displacement fast ferries in the UK until now.
Isle of Wight based Shemara Refit won the order for Red Jet 6 by offering a competitively priced vessel which met Red Funnel’s design brief and desire to have the vessel built on the Isle of Wight. Confidence in Shemara Refit’s management capabilities and quality of workmanship stemmed from the impressive restoration of the famous motor yacht Shemara for Sir Charles Dunstone.
Kevin George, Red Funnel’s CEO, commented: “From the outset, Shemara Refit shared our vision to bring fast ferry construction back to the UK and particularly to Cowes on the Isle of Wight where the specialist aluminium fabrication skills and yard facilities still exist. The fact they could do this at a competitive price is a credit to the team at Shemara.”
Red Jet 6 will be Red Funnel’s largest and most innovative high-speed vessel yet, offering ground breaking levels of passenger comfort, reliability and safety. She will also be the greenest ship in Red Funnel’s fleet with a host of design features to reduce fuel consumption and protect the environment in line with the company’s ISO 1400:1 accreditation.
Red Jet 6 will be configured to carry 275 passengers, who will experience a quiet, spacious and well-lit cabin fitted with leather seats and a sophisticated air-handling system designed to dry, cool or warm the air automatically. A new high bandwidth ship-to-shore Wi-Fi system has been specified which will be free for customers and the latest travel information system will be installed to show connecting services for buses, coaches, trains and flights in real-time. Provision has also been made to carry 22 bicycles.
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