Wightlink’s new fleet of catamarans for the passenger service between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head arrived in the Solent last month after a 9,100 mile voyage from the Philippines, where the two ships were built.
Named Wight Ryder I and Wight Ryder II, by Wightlink Ryde Terminal employee Mike Bristow, the catamarans left the FBMA shipyard at Cebu, The Philippines on schedule on 8th June aboard the freight ship BBC Georgia and arrived in Portsmouth one month later.
The two new catamarans were lifted directly into the water at Portsmouth Commercial Port using the ship’s cranes on the morning of Sunday 12th July, before heading to Wightlink’s moorings in the harbour.
Designed by Southampton-based BMT Nigel Gee, one of the world’s largest marine specialists, the new generation catamarans will provide greater stability during travel and improved berthing capabilities, crucial benefits for Wightlink and its customers. They form part of a multi-million pound investment first announced in spring 2008 by the ferry operator across all of its cross-Solent routes.
The design of the new ships with advanced electronic management systems is expected to result in fuel savings of around 1.3 million litres per annum compared to the existing FastCats, making them more environmentally friendly with a reduction in emissions equivalent to over 3.4 million kg CO2.
In common with the rest of the Wightlink fleet, the Wight Ryder catamarans bear the newly-introduced Wightlink branding, which makes them very different in appearance to their predecessors, the yellow FastCats. They will be able to accommodate 260 passengers on a single deck, designed with double-width boarding access doors to allow fast embarkation and disembarkation.
John Burrows, Wightlink General Manager, Operations, welcomed the news of the catamarans’ safe launch into Solent waters. “The arrival of Wight Ryders I and II means that we are on schedule to replace our existing FastCat fleet with a robust new generation of purpose-built, single-decked catamarans by early autumn.”
Meanwhile alternations to the terminals at Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head are well advanced and are expected to be completed in August. This schedule will allow the new ships to be introduced into service in the early autumn as soon as they obtain their passenger certificates, following eight weeks of sea trials and crew training.