RED JET 4 SPOTTED ON ITS WORLD VOYAGE TO A NEW HOME IN SOUTH KOREA

Red Funnel’s now former Red Jet 4 was spotted in sunnier climes on its way to its new home in South Korea last week. Islander Rob Wetherick spotted the distinctive red and white hi-speed vessel on board the 193-metre cargo vessel ‘Aal Kobe’ in Gijon, Spain. As exclusively reported by Island Echo at the beginning of May, the vessel has been sold to the South Korean company Nam Hae Express Co., where it will join a fleet of 6 other catamarans operating in and around Mokpo and Jeju Island. It was announced back in March that the 2003 Australian-built vessel would not be returning to Red Funnel’s West Cowes-Southampton route, with the cross-Solent operator blaming a drop in passenger numbers and growing maintenance costs for the decision. The hi-speed catamaran hadn’t been in service since a major engine failure in November last year. Red Jet 4 (as was) was built by North West Bay Ships in Tasmania in 2003 and can accommodate 271 seated passengers and 4 crew and is powered by 2 MTU diesel engines, each driving an MJP waterjet to give a service speed of 35 knots. There have been no indications that the vessel will be replaced, meaning the West Cowes-Southampton hi-speed service is now solely reliant on just 2 Red Jets. Aal Kobe – and Red Jet 4 – is currently off the coast of Algeria on its way to Venice having left Gijon on Thursday. It will soon transit through the Suez Canal and continue its journey through the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to South Korea.