By Isle of Wight ObserverWightlink’s new £30million flagship Victoria of Wight is in the Western Channel and will enter Portsmouth Harbour.
Victoria of Wight will be catching the tide to enter Portsmouth Harbour on Friday morning (August 10) after her lengthy journey from Turkey.
Wightlink’s new flagship for the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route left the Cemre shipyard in Yalova on July 16 for the 3,019 nautical mile voyage. She has sailed through the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay, towed by the oceangoing tug Amber II and is expected to enter the harbour at around 11:30am.
“All the years of planning and preparation are almost over and Victoria of Wight will be in home waters very soon,” said Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield. “Her arrival is the final milestone in our £45million investment in the Portsmouth – Fishbourne route and our customers will soon be sailing on her.”
Victoria of Wight can carry up to 178 cars and more than 1000 passengers. Powered by hybrid energy, from a combination of batteries and conventional engines, Victoria of Wight will be quieter than other similar vessels with fewer emissions.
Wightlink selected Cemre to build its new flagship following a competitive tendering process based on quality, delivery time and price. Although there was interest from many shipbuilders around the world, no UK yards submitted a tender which complied with Wightlink’s requirements.
Captain Tom Vincent will be on the bridge for the last part of the journey into Portsmouth Harbour. He has spent two months at the shipyard with other Wightlink colleagues, finalising the construction.
“We can’t wait to bring Victoria of Wight home, train our crews and get her ready to welcome customers,” he explains. “She is one of the next generation of ferries and will transform our services between Portsmouth and Fishbourne.”
Victoria of Wight arrival – schedule for Friday (August 10).
08.45am
Victoria of Wight arrives at the Nab Tower, off the eastern tip of the Isle of Wight
09.45am
Wightlink crew board Victoria of Wight at St Helens anchorage. Harbour tug arrives and joins Amber II to bring our new ship into Portsmouth Harbour
11.00am latest
Victoria of Wight leaves St Helens bound for her new home in The Camber
11.30am
With a second harbour tug on hand to assist, Victoria of Wight enters Portsmouth Harbour
11.45am approx
Victoria of Wight ties up at the Harbour mooring, near Wightlink’s FastCat terminal
Isle of Wight Observer