Another Red Jet for Wight Shipyard

The order is worth about 7 million pounds (US$21.8 million). The ferry will be used for sailings from Southampton to the Isle of Wight off south England. The order for the vessel, named Red Jet 7, marks the first major investment in Red Funnel by the consortium of British and Canadian pension funds which bought Red Funnel in July 2017. Red Jet 7 will be a sister ship to Red Jet 6 which was built by Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight in 2016. Mr Kevin George, Red Funnel chief executive officer, said the latest vessel will be delivered in summer 2018. Red Jet 7 will be one of the greenest ships in Red Funnel’s fleet with a series of design features to reduce fuel consumption and protect the  environment. The use of waterjets rather than propellers will aid  manoeuvrability and provide improved stopping power whilst keeping wash to an absolute minimum, the company said. The vessel will be fitted with four main MTU 2000 series diesel engines, each one connected to a Hamilton HM571 waterjet unit. This configuration aims to reduce fuel consumption and provides high levels of in-service reliability. Emissions will meet IMO Tier II regulations. Other technical innovations to reduce fuel consumption include the use of vinyl instead of paint for the superstructure to reduce weight and the application of the latest Teflon hull coatings to minimise drag through the water. The installation of a rescue boat on the stern will also enable the vessel to operate outside the Solent area between Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Passengers will have a quiet, spacious and well-lit cabin fitted with leather seats and a sophisticated air-handling system designed to dry, cool or warm the air automatically.