UPDATED: All Red Funnel services to and from the Isle of Wight have been suspended this morning (Tuesday) due to the foggy conditions.
The decision has been taken to cancel all Red Jet and Vehicle Ferry crossings until further notice.
The low visibility is a concern for the cross-Solent operator following a series of collisions in the fog, the latest of which led to the car ferry running aground off East Cowes.
As previously reported by Island Echo, Cowes Harbour Commission have placed a restriction on the movement of the Red Funnel ferry is low visibility. If the fog reduces the visibility to under 370m then the car ferry should not navigate through the harbour and should instead wait for the fog to lift.
It is unknown at this time when services are likely to resume.
Meanwhile, Wightlink are reporting that they are running with delays across their 3 services due to the thick fog.
UPDATE @ 07:25 – Both the Red Jet and Vehicle Ferry are now back in action, although the hi-speed Red Jet from West Cowes is operating a shuttle service.
Delays are likely to the routes as a result of the reduced visibility and the backlog of traffic.
UPDATE @ 08:55 – A spokesperson for Red Funnel has said:
“Dense fog is causing some service delays on ferry crossings between East and West Cowes and Southampton this morning. As a result of vehicle ferry cancellations during the night (also due to dense fog), traffic backlogs are creating some interruptions, with delays most prolonged from Southampton.
“At this time, we can confirm that Red Osprey most recently departed from Southampton at 07:15 and Red Eagle departed East Cowes at 07:15. The next scheduled 09:00 departures from both Southampton and East Cowes are anticipated to depart as planned, however we will continue to monitor the situation. The Hi-Speed Red Jet foot passenger service is currently running as a “shuttle service” in both directions, meaning that due to reduced visibility passengers should expect longer crossings as well as varied departure times subject to when the vessels arrive.
“We would also like to thank our passengers in advance for their patience as our staff and crew work hard to get everyone on board and to their destination as quickly and safely as possible”.
Passengers are advised to check www.redfunnel.co.uk for service status updates.
