Commuters travelling between the Isle of Wight and the mainland are facing disruption this Wednesday morning after Red Funnel cancels multiple vehicle ferry sailings due to essential maintenance.
The cross-Solent operator confirms that a number of early morning crossings are being pulled from the schedule because Red Falcon requires essential maintenance to its main engines.
The 01:30 vehicle ferry from East Cowes is the first to be cancelled.
Further disruption follows as the 03:00 sailing from Southampton and the 04:30 sailing from East Cowes will not operate.
Red Funnel also confirms that the 06:00 departure from Southampton and the 07:30 crossing from East Cowes are cancelled, along with the 09:00 service from Southampton and the 10:30 from East Cowes.
Currently, at the time of publishing, the 04:30 and 07:30 sailings from Southampton, and the 06:00 and 09:00 sailings from East Cowes, are operating. However, these crossings are expected to be busier than usual due to increased passenger numbers caused by the out-of-service vessel.
In each update, the operator says the cancellations are due to essential maintenance required to Red Falcon’s main engines and apologises for the inconvenience caused.
It is not yet known how long the disruption will continue.
Latest service updates: redfunnel.co.uk
Why don’t they say what’s wrong in plain English? ” The engine has gone wrong”.. It’s not ‘essential maintennance’.
Engine is broken and needs fixing….
Dictionary Definition: “Maintenance” is a noun meaning the actions taken to keep something in good condition. It can refer to regular care, repairs, or support for things like machines, houses, vehicles
So repairing the engine is Maintenance.
The fact that the ship cannot operate,to perform its design function, without its engines, would seem to correctly classify such as repair as “Essential Maintenance”
Brain not braining?
Typical of management wanting ships that have just returned from refit to go straight onto the run. Has it had a trial period after returning to iron out any running troubles, I think the answer to that is no as it was only yesterday that it was reported that the same ship had just returned from refit.
Straight out of refit … shouldnt the engines have been checked/serviced while it was in dock?
More likely the route isnt busy enough to warrant a full service
Proably can’t find the dipstick or a
rag it’s wipe it with
Probably can’t find the dipstick to check the oil level that’s essential maintenance
Utter useless pathetic wankers..how are they still going?? someone put it out of its misery…could you imagine p&o stena brittany operating like this?no..no you can’t..
Even after the multiple cancellations almost every month, Red Funnel claim 98.34% reliability with ‘only’ 39 cancellations in the past 12 months. To me, it seems almost as if the figures are skewed in favour of keeping a reputation, rather than fact. How the hell do folk organise getting to and from the mainland every day? This is just unacceptable in a time when jobs are hard to find and keep, but hey, the shareholders get a nice bonus every year.
Oh dear those useless maintenence men can’t seem to fix anything
Time for a Bridge or Tunnel
Enough is Enough
Why do they use the term ‘essential maintenance’? That makes it sound planned, when it most definitely is ’emergency works’ and due to lack of ‘essential funding’. Failing company being run on a shoestring to line the pockets of the rich