Red Funnel cancels services day after fire near Southampton

A deep fat fryer caused a blaze on a Red Osprey ferry yesterday afternoon, sparking a major response from emergency services.

This means customers will not be able to order hot food on this vessel.

• Read more: Fire breaks out on ferry just before docking in Southampton

Due to delays in repair works, Red Funnel is also only able to use one Red Jet today. A number of scheduled trips have been cancelled.

Leanna Lakes, operations director, said: “We are sorry to advise that we will be running a reduced Red Jet service on Friday as repairs are taking longer than anticipated.

"Works on Red Jet 6 have been completed and are awaiting the appropriate regulatory approval. Red Jet 7 engine repairs are ongoing with the support of an external marine engineering specialist and we will provide an update on these as work continues overnight.

"The first Red Jet sailing will depart Southampton at 08:15 on Friday morning."

The following services from Southampton have been/were cancelled: 5.35am, 6.15am, 6.55am, 7.35am, 8.15am, 8.55am, 9.35am, 10.55am, 4.55pm and 6.15pm.

From West Cowes, these services have been cancelled: 6:15am, 6.55am, 7.35am, 8.15am, 8.55am, 9.35am, 10.15am, 11.25am, 5.35pm and 6.55pm.

Live service status information is available on the Red Funnel website.

Speaking on yesterday's fire, Ms Lakes said: "We are pleased to announce that Red Osprey will be back in service from Friday morning and all vehicle ferries are running to timetable. We sincerely apologise for the disruption caused and thank our customers for their patience and cooperation as our team undertook the required safety procedures.

Red Jet 08:15, 09:35 & 10:55 from Southampton and 08:55, 10:15 & 11:35 from Cowes cancelled due to a mechanical fault on Red Jet 6. We are working hard to resolve the problem and apologise for any inconvenience to your journey.

— RF Service News (@RF_Travel_News) October 22, 2021

“A small and contained fire in the galley of Red Osprey was caused by a deep fat fryer. As part of our rigorous health and safety protocols, we are undertaking a full investigation.

"We would like to thank the emergency services for attending and our team who managed the incident quickly and safely, using the on-board suppression system to extinguish the fire.

"Our teams undergo extensive training to equip them to manage situations of this nature, including the use of suppression systems which extinguish fires using a wet chemical.

"Due to the incident, hot food will not be available on-board Red Osprey on Friday.”