RED JET 4 WILL NOT RETURN TO HI-SPEED ROUTE CONFIRMS RED FUNNEL

Red Funnel’s Red Jet 4 will not return to service on the hi-speed West Cowes-Southampton route, with the company blaming a drop in passenger numbers and growing maintenance costs for the decision. Earlier today Island Echo reported that Red Funnel had refused to answer questions on the future of the 2003 Australian-built vessel, which hasn’t been in service since a major engine failure in November last year. Customers have been led to believe – up until now – that repairs were being undertaken and that the vessel would return in due course. However, the company has now revealed that Red Jet 4 is not due to return to passenger service at all as it is no longer economical to maintain the vessel, at 20 years old. A near 30% drop in the number of passengers using the route over the past 5 years has also been blamed, coupled with rising overheads. The vessel has now been put up for sale with an asking price of  $3.15million – around £2.4million. There has been no suggestion, as of yet, that Red Jet 4 will be replaced which means that the hi-speed service will resume as a 2-craft operation for the foreseeable future. This will spark concern amongst regular travellers as the route has seen significant disruption over the past 4 months. A revised timetable has been implemented on numerous occasions as a result of 1 of the 2 craft being withdrawn, often due to technical faults. There have also been cancellations due to staff shortages. Last week, Red Jet 6 was taken out of action by a water jet fault. Then, less than 24 hours later, Red Jet 7 was struck by a technical issue too that resulted in the entire service being suspended for 2 days. The news of Red Jet 4’s permanent withdrawal means that revised timetables could become a regular occurrence on the West Cowes-Southampton route, at a time when the cross-Solent operator is also experiencing unreliability issues with its ageing vehicle ferries – which are due to be replaced in the coming years. Red Funnel says its priority is now ensuring the reliability and punctuality expected from Red Jets 6 and 7. Red Jet 6 is currently operational, but Red Jet 7 is still undergoing essential repairs to her propulsion system. She is due back in service ‘within days’.