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Red Funnel To Operate From Temporary Southampton Berth For Three Days

Red Funnel’s vehicle ferry service will arrive and depart from a different berth in Southampton across three days this week.

The changes apply today (Tuesday), Wednesday and Thursday while Red Funnel continues to carry out the installation of a new maintenance pontoon at Terminal 1, along with the installation of a new walkway.

The works are part of a £2m investment project supporting the maintenance of the company’s fleet.

Across the three days, the vehicle ferry service will temporarily move from Terminal 1 to Berth 25 (approximately five minutes by car) in  Southampton, during Red Funnel’s quieter mid-week sailing days.

This temporary change in operation will mirror a similar arrangement from earlier this month, where the company also used Beth 25 between 2-4 November.

Fran Collins, Chief Executive Officer at Red Funnel, said:

“These works are an essential part of our investment in the future maintenance of our fleet. I’d like to thank Island residents and our customers for their continued cooperation while we carry out the work and undertake this temporary change in operation out of Southampton – we will work very hard to make sure any disruption this week is minimised whilst we carry out the upgrades.”

Due to the temporary change in location, the operator will only be able to load and carry vehicles on its bottom ‘E’ deck. This applies to all affected departures from both Southampton and East Cowes.

Red Funnel has contacted all booked vehicle passengers to advise of the change temporary change to operation and will also be sharing the update with foot passengers.

Vehicle traffic is advised to proceed directly to Berth 25 for departures from Southampton, while foot passengers should continue to arrive at Terminal 1, Southampton, where they will be shuttled to the Berth 25 foot passenger departure area.

Important travel guidance for foot passengers

  • Red Funnel recommends all foot passengers use the Red Jet service for the duration of these dates.
  • However, for those wishing to travel via East Cowes, foot passengers travelling on a vehicle ferry during these dates will still need to make their way to Terminal 1 as normal
  • A free shuttle bus service will be operating between the main Southampton Terminal and Berth 25. Due to this, Red Funnel is advising all foot passengers to arrive well before their departure to allow for transfer and boarding. The bus will depart Terminal 1 approx. 10 minutes before the sailing is due to depart.
  • During this time, foot passengers will also have the option to travel on any Red Jet crossing at no extra cost.
  • Passengers making plans to be picked up or dropped off in Southampton should continue to use Terminal 1 as their location.

Important travel guidance for vehicle passengers

  • Red Funnel is advising all vehicle passengers to drive direct to Berth 25 (see map below)
  • Passengers travelling with vehicles should continue to arrive as normal, between 30-60 minutes ahead of their crossing
  • Using sat nav? Enter post code SO14 3ZH (for National Oceanography Centre), then follow signs to Berth 25.
  • Note that those arriving into Southampton from East Cowes will exit via a different, sign-posted route via Berth 25. A map will be emailed to all booked passengers and is also available online (see link below).

 

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