RED FUNNEL FERRY BREAK DOWN LEADS TO THURSDAY NIGHT CANCELLATIONS

Red Funnel has cancelled a number of its vehicle ferry sailings to and from the Isle of Wight this evening (Thursday) due to a mechanical breakdown – just as the busy Bank Holiday Weekend gets underway.

The 17:00 sailing from Southampton, operated by the Red Osprey ferry, had to turn back to port whilst en-route to East Cowes when a fault suddenly developed.

Island Echo understands it wasn’t until 18:50 that the ferry was able to dock at Terminal 1, with the assistance of a tug. Efforts are now underway to disembark all vehicles, with the ferry then set to be moved to a standby berth.

The cross-Solent operator has confirmed that the 18:30 and 21:30 sailings from East Cowes have been cancelled, as has the 20:00 from Southampton.

The official reason given is to allow essential maintenance  to a critical item of onboard equipment.

It is unclear at this early stage whether there are likely to be cancellations to services on Friday as the August Bank Holiday Weekend begins – arguably one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Red Funnel apologises for any inconvenience to your journey