Floating Bridge workboat costs kept secret so they can stay ‘competitive’

The cost of the Floating Bridge’s workboats are being kept secret so their owners can stay “competitive”. 

Isle of Wight Council (IWC) say Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) “aren’t willing for us to publish their rates” because of commercial sensitivities.

The workboat, provided by CHC and funded by the Isle of Wight Council, is being used to assist the Floating Bridge during the ebb tide after a run of issues during Cowes Week (August 9 & 10).

A spokesman for IWC said: “CHC are not willing for us to publish their rates because their commercial rates, although they advertise their rates for the RIBs and Duver [vessels], they don’t want to publish their rates for the workboats because they rely on those rates being kept out of the public domain so they can stay competitive with the other commercial providers in the Solent.”