SHAMBLES! RED FUNNEL’S SERVICE ON ITS KNEES AS TECHNICAL GREMLINS BITE

Hundreds of Red Funnel passengers have been left disgruntled by yet more technical gremlins which have resulted in Red Eagle being pulled from service and the Red Jets suspended in their entirety. For the second time today, technical issues on board Red Eagle have led to disruption for those crossing the Solent. The latest issue is said to be an issue with the forward main engine – possibly a fuel leak. It’s understood the 16:30 sailing from Southampton was unable to depart and had to be tugged away, with the other ferry – Red Osprey – unable to dock until the berth was clear. The 18:00 from Southampton has now departed 35 minutes late with a near-capacity 850 people on board – with all decks utilised and standing room only for passengers. The Signature Lounge has been opened to all to provide additional seating. It comes less than 12 hours after a problem with the bow doors led to passengers being left behind in East Cowes when the 45-minute delayed 06:00 sailing set sail for Southampton. Furthermore, the onboard ovens were not working and even the coffee machines packed up. The kick in the teeth is that Red Eagle only returned from a refit in Falmouth 2 days ago. Matters have been made worse by the suspension of the hi-speed Red Jet service between West Cowes-Southampton, which means additional foot passengers are having to travel on the car ferry. A revised timetable was introduced on Friday afternoon when Red Jet 6 developed a water jet fault and had to be withdrawn from service. Now, Red Jet 7 has also been withdrawn from service meaning the route has been suspended until further notice. Red Jet 4 has been out of action since November. It is unclear why Red Falcon – which has been moored up in Southampton all day – is not being used, with the freight ferry Red Kestrel also moored up. Red Funnel’s entire operation is now reliant on the Red Osprey with effectively a shuttle service in place. It is unclear if a revised timetable will be implemented moving forward. It has been confirmed that the 19:30 from Southampton and the 21:00 from East Cowes have been cancelled, with the 19:30 from East Cowes and the 21:00 from Southampton delayed by 30 minutes. Earlier this week the cross-Solent operator confirmed it was looking to replace its aging Raptor-class ferries, which are now 30 years old. However, that is likely to be several years away and in the meantime the technical breakdowns continue…