At 11:50 local time this morning (Wednesday), Wightlink’s new environmentally friendly ferry ‘Victoria of Wight’ went down the slipway at the Cemre shipyard in Yalova, Turkey to cheers from Wightlink staff and hundreds of shipyard workers.
Workers at Cemre started construction on Victoria of Wight in November 2016. They will complete fitting out work in the next few weeks before the ship travels to home waters.
Victoria of Wight will be seen around the Solent this summer as crew are trained to operate her before she enters service. She will become the company’s flagship on the Fishbourne-Portsmouth route.
Project Director John Burrows says:
“The launch marked a significant milestone for Wightlink in our £45million investment in future services. Our new flagship is now afloat and we look forward to welcoming her to the Solent this summer.”
More than 50 shipyards around the world, including the UK, were asked if they were interested in building the ferry. Wightlink received 22 tenders and shortlisted 5 yards – from Turkey, Spain and Croatia – before choosing Cemre on the Sea of Marmara, at Yalova, south of Istanbul. The decision was made on the grounds of value for money and the capacity to deliver the vessel within 2 years.
