Red Funnel’s (see Irish Sea shipyard story) rival Isle of Wight ferry operator, Wightlink, has begun its annual programme of maintenance for its eight-strong Solent based fleet.
Wightlink which operates three routes across the Solent, is spending more than £8 million in maintenance and refurbishment of all its vehicle ferries, FastCat passenger catamarans and port facilities.
Combined, the fleet carries around four million passengers a year to and from the Isle of Wight on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne (45 mins), Portsmouth-Ryde (22 min fastcat) and Lymington – Yarmouth (40 mins).
The programme, which is to take six months, began as soon as the school holidays ended with the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry Wight Sky sailing to Hythe Shipyard, Southampton. Works undertaken included painting the vehicle deck, pouring new resin flooring in passenger walkways, and installing a new control box.
Of the same class of ferry is the Wight Light, which will be the next to be sent to Hythe this October.
FastCat Wight Ryder 1 is currently in drydock at Trafalgar Shipyard in Portchester, and twin Wight Ryder 2 will follow in early 2025.
From now until Easter, all ferries will be withdrawn from service in turn for refurbishment, as required by their maintenance schedules. A Refit Captain and crew accompanies each ship and will carry out much of the work as they have expert knowledge of their vessel.
“Routine maintenance is carried out all year round, but annual refit work on our fleet, including dry docking, is essential,” says Fleet and Operations Director John Burrows.
He added “Our engineers plan their schedules many months in advance and engage specialist contractors for complex tasks. We also make sure we keep Wightlink port infrastructure in good order, as it needs to work efficiently in all weathers.”