Red Funnel’s hi-speed Red Jet service between Cowes and Southampton has been suspended due to a mechanical fault.
The cross-Solent operator has indicated that the route will be non-operational for the remainder of this morning (Friday) with an update expected at midday. It is unclear if the suspension of service will continue into this afternoon.
Earlier this morning the 08:15 Red Jet from Southampton was cancelled when a technical issue developed on Red Jet 7. It’s known that both Red Jet 6 and Red Jet 4 are laid up at Hythe, meaning the service is reliant on a single vessel.
Red Funnel’s vehicle ferry service from East Cowes is operating with delays of 30 minutes due to operational reasons.
UPDATE @ 08:55 – Red Funnel has now announced that the 10:00 vehicle ferry from Southampton and the 11:30 from East Cowes have been cancelled due to a technical issue.
The issues come just days after competitor Wightlink had to pull its flagship from service due to engine troubles.
UPDATE @ 09:51 – Southern Vectis have suspended their Route 4 buses between Ryde and East Cowes as roadworks and the Red Funnel delays have led to gridlock. Passengers are advised to catch and transfer between Route 5 and 9 buses until further notice.
UPDATE @ 10:46 – Red Funnel has confirmed that Red Eagle has been pulled from service to facilitate repairs. As a result, departure times have been adjusted by up to 12 hours.
The worse delays are for those scheduled to depart Southampton at 23:55, with the current estimated departure time of 09:00 on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the Red Jet service will resume at 10:55 from Southampton and 11:35 from West Cowes.
| SOUTHAMPTON TO EAST COWES | ||
| Original Departure Time | Current Expected Departure | Arrive at check-in |
| 10:00 | 12:00 | from 11:30 |
| 11:00 | 14:00 | from 13:30 |
| 12:00 | 15:00 | from 14:30 |
| 13:00 | 17:00 | from 16:30 |
| 14:00 | 18:00 | from 17:30 |
| 15:00 | 21:00 | from 20:30 |
| 16:00 | 23:55 | from 23:25 |
| 17:00 | 03:00 | from 02:30 |
| 18:00 | 06:00 | from 05:30 |
| 19:30 | 07:00 | from 06:30 |
| 21:00 | 08:00 | from 07:30 |
| 23:55 | 09:00 | from 08:30 |
| EAST COWES TO SOUTHAMPTON | ||
| Original Departure Time | Current Expected Departure | Arrive at check-in |
| 10:30 | 12:30 | from 12:00 |
| 11:30 | 13:30 | from 13:00 |
| 12:30 | 15:30 | from 15:00 |
| 13:30 | 16:30 | from 16:00 |
| 14:30 | 18:30 | from 18:00 |
| 15:30 | 19:30 | from 19:00 |
| 16:30 | 21:00 | from 20:30 |
| 17:30 | 22:30 | from 22:00 |
| 18:30 | 01:30 | from 01:00 |
| 19:30 | 04:30 | from 04:00 |
| 21:00 | 04:30 | from 04:00 |
| 22:30 | 06:30 | from 06:00 |
UPDATE @ 12:45 – A spokesperson for Red Funnel has said:
“We are experiencing significant disruption to our timetable this morning which we expect to impact sailings throughout the day. This follows a routine technical inspection which resulted in the need to remove one of our ferries, the Red Eagle, from service to allow for repairs to be made.
“The safety of our passengers and team is our number one priority and we are working hard to keep traffic moving with Red Falcon and Red Osprey. We will issue an update on Red Eagle’s return to service as soon as we have more information.
“Unfortunately, we have also experienced an issue with the sound signalling equipment onboard Red Jet 7 which led to a temporary suspension of the Red Jet service this morning. We can confirm that this has now been addressed and Red Jet 7 is back in service as of 10:55.
“We understand Island Roads roadworks and a burst water main are contributing to excess traffic and congestions in and around East Cowes, therefore we advise anyone travelling today to arrive no sooner than advised and to check the service status on the Red Funnel website where updated departure and arrival times are available. For customers without a booking today, we advise you not to travel to our terminals. For passengers who have the flexibility or who would prefer and are able to amend their crossing to an alternative date, this can be done via our website (https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/isle-of-wight-ferry/faqs/covid/disruption-amends/)
“We do appreciate that this will disrupt people’s plans for today and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
UPDATE @ 16:05 – Red Funnel has announced that its Red Eagle will be brought back into service. It is hoped that this move will help ease traffic queues in East Cowes. It’s also understood that Clarence Road will reopen shortly following the repair of a burst water main.
I’ve been sat on a bus for over an hour. East Cowes at a standstill. Absolutely ridiculous.
I really do think that the ferry companies need to be held accountable for the poor level of service, I absolutely love the Isle of Wight and I loved living on the island for 10 years HOWEVER I left the island with my family and relocated back to the mainland because of the extortionate cost of the ferries but also due to the constant delays, I respect that the Isle of Wight is an island however it will become a retirement hub with no thriving economy itself if something does not change. A tunnel is the only solution, and do not get me wrong I would happily pay £20 each way to go through a tunnel !
It won’t become a retirement hub because it’s becoming a less nice place to live due to over-population. It has a thriving economy which is housebuilding, and that is the catch 22 situation. A tunnel won’t change that.
I have not been a supporter of a fixed link BUT the ferry companies are becoming a complete joke. How can we promote the Island as a holiday destination when they cannot even get onto the Island. The ferries are now as unreliable as the floating bridge which everyone is asking to have scrapped. Let’s scrap the ferries who are unable to provide a reliable service 24/7 and put in its place something that does not have to rely on mechanics and weather to be able to function properly.
Ha then you will get island roads putting roadworks in the tunnel or on the bridge
Pathetic. With the lack of usage during the Covid problems these vessels should be in tip top condition having had more time for maintenance than would normally have been available.
I agree with Darren i too love the island but unless a fixed link gets done tourism will be a thing of the past here. Fran Collins and Keith Greenfield need to be held to account it is not acceptable any longer.