Ferry News Archive
Wightlink rolls out £57m fleet upgrade programme
Date: 09 Apr 2008 00:00 Source: Lloyds ListUK FERRY operator Wightlink is investing £57m ($113m) in improving its fleet of conventional and fast ferries, and terminal facilities, in a major company makeover.
The company, owned by Australia-based Macquarie Group’s Macquarie Europe Infrastructure Fund, already has three 360-passenger, 65-car-capacity ferries under construction at the Croatian shipbuilder Brod Kraljevica for its Lymington-Yarmouth service and has just ordered two 30-knot, 260-passenger catamarans from the Philippines yard of FBMA Marine for its Portsmouth Harbour-Ryde service. At the same time, major improvements are to be made to the company’s five Saint-class passenger/vehicle ferries, which run between Portsmouth and Fishbourne.
Wightlink chief executive Andrew Wilson said the investment will “completely transform” the quality of the service that Wightlink can offer its customers.
“It will ensure that we have the capacity and flexibility vital to deliver an efficient, reliable service, provide better facilities and offer all-round value,” he said
Some £26m is being invested in three new ferries for the Lymington-Yarmouth service, replacing the three ageing C-class vessels on the run — Caedmon, Cenred and Cenwulf — as well as improving the link-spans at both ports. The first two new vessels, Wight Light and Wight Sky, will enter service this summer, followed by Wight Sun in spring 2009.
Meanwhile, £9m is being invested in improving Wightlink’s fast ferry service between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier. This service has been plagued by problems in recent years due to operational and technical problems with the passenger-only catamarans used on this link, the Australian-built sisters Our Lady Pamela and Our Lady Patricia and the two Singapore-built twins FastCat Ryde and FastCat Shanklin.
Two new 40.9 m catamarans have been ordered for this route, which Wightlink said are of a “more robust new generation, better able to cope with the punishing weather conditions in the Solent”, while improvements will also be made to the terminals at Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head.
Wightlink’s busiest route, the passenger/vehicle ferry run between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, will see a further £17.5m spent on upgrading the five Saint-class ferries St Catherine, St Cecilia, St Clare, St Faith and St Helen, as well as carrying out terminal improvements at Fishbourne.
A further £4m is set to be spent on retail improvements and website and IT upgrades.
To book ferry tickets to the Isle of Wight, please visit our Ferries to the Isle of Wight page.
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