Major Disruption To Red Funnel Crossings With Some Sailings Moved To TOMORROW (Sat)

Major disruption to Red Funnel services means some sailings scheduled for tonight are being moved to TOMORROW (Saturday).

Red Eagle has been taken out of service for emergency repairs, meaning only two vessels are running between the Isle of Wight and Southampton.

Currently, some bookings for this afternoon and evening are scheduled for departure tomorrow.

Traffic chaos in East Cowes is also causing delays to vehicles trying to disembark the ferries.

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.

“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 10:55am.

“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 (https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/isle-of-wight-ferry/faqs/covid/disruption-amends/)

 “We do appreciate that this will disrupt people’s plans for today and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

UPDATED 15.47pm

The Red Eagle is expected to return to service at 6pm.

A spokesperson for Red Funnel said: 

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers travelling with us today. Our technical teams have worked hard to make the necessary repairs, and we can confirm that Red Eagle is expected to return to service today and is scheduled for departure from Southampton at 16:00.

“Poor weather and Island roadworks have also contributed to the traffic congestion in East Cowes today and we are deeply sorry that our disruption has added to the already difficult situation. Our teams on the ground are doing everything possible to keep traffic and our service moving. We also continue to advise all customers with a booking for today to check the service status on our website and confirm their revised departure and suggested arrival time as we still expect to experience delays throughout the evening as we catch up to our timetable.

“We wish to thank all affected passengers and particularly residents in East Cowes for their patience and understanding.”

Red Funnel service status: https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/isle-of-wight-ferry/service-status/