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Isle Of Wight Ferry Crew Praised For "Brave" Kitten Rescue

Red Funnel (C).

The crew of an Isle of Wight ferry have been praised after rescuing a kitten which had jumped overboard.

The 5pm Southampton to East Cowes Red Funnel crossing was halted, shortly after departing yesterday (Monday).

Crew members noticed a kitten had escaped and jumped overboard from deck C of the firm's Red Eagle ship.

Captain Simon Brindle stopped the vessel to deploy a rescue boat, and Deck Mate, Ben Gibson and Deck Hand, Mark Holland, were able to successfully bring the feline safely back on board.

Leanna Lakes, Operations Director at Red Funnel, said:

"We are incredibly proud of our Captain and crew on the Red Eagle for acting fast and saving one of our fluffy, four-legged passengers, and thank them for their brave efforts yesterday.

"We are happy to say that the cat was safely returned and is doing well."

The rescue came on the same day the ferry operator had to remove its Red Falcon ship from service. 

A technical problem led to cancellations and delays, as Isle of Wight Radio previously reported.

The service is currently running to time.

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