Red Funnel has confirmed that Red Eagle is back in service and running to timetable following yesterday’s loss of an anchor off Cowes.
As first reported by Island Echo, the vehicle ferry came to a halt on the approach to East Cowes shortly before 10:00. It later transpired that an anchor had dropped to the bottom of the sea unexpectedly.
With fears that damage may have been caused to the vessel and its propellers as a result of the incident, Red Eagle was pulled from service and divers sent down to inspect the hull.
A spokesperson for Red Funnel has said:
“Red Eagle lost one of her two anchors in the approach to Cowes Harbour yesterday (Tuesday) following her 09:00 crossing from Southampton to East Cowes. Following a short delay Red Eagle returned to Southampton where the hull was inspected as a precautionary measure, following which Red Eagle returned to service yesterday evening.
“Red Eagle is currently running to timetable operating with one anchor. While it is not necessary to have two anchors to operate Red Eagle, we are making arrangements to recover the anchor from Cowes Harbour and will refit it at the next opportunity.
“Once again we would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this unexpected situation caused for customers travelling with us and we thank everyone for their patience as we took all measures to ensure it was safe to put Red Eagle back into service.”
