By Isle of Wight Observer
After Wightlink announced it would add up to £3.50 per return crossing as a new UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) charge, the Island’s two MPs have written to ministers warning that the Isle of Wight is being unfairly singled out by the policy.
In a joint letter to Industry Minister Chris McDonald, Joe Robertson (IW East) and Richard Quigley (IW West) say the Government’s decision to bring the maritime sector into UK ETS on July 1 will hit cross‑Solent travellers uniquely hard. They point out that two of the three ferries on the Portsmouth–Fishbourne route exceed the 5,000 tonne threshold, making it the only ferry route in the UK fully captured by the new charge. “Ferries to the Isle of Wight are already the most expensive in Europe,” the MPs say, pointing out that passengers now face unavoidable extra costs.
The letter argues that while ETS is intended to encourage a shift away from carbon‑emitting vessels, cross-Solent operators have no viable alternative because no shoreside charging capacity exists in Portsmouth or Southampton, and won’t until the mid‑2030s. Even the hybrid Victoria of Wight, fitted with batteries in 2016, cannot charge from the grid.
The MPs say they have welcomed the Department for Transport’s round‑table process, led by former Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief Brian Johnson, to examine ferry affordability. But they warn that imposing ETS charges before those meetings conclude “undermines the whole purpose” of the discussions.
Citing rising fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict, they urge the Government to pause or delay ETS implementation for Isle of Wight ferry services, saying Islanders should not face extra costs at a time of already severe pressure.
