Shemara Refit delivers RedJet 6

Proudly built by Shemara Refit LLP at its Isle of Wight shipyard, Red Jet 6 is Red Funnel’s largest and most innovative high-speed vessel yet, offering groundbreaking levels of passenger comfort, reliability and safety.

Named by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony in Cowes on 4 July 2016, the new craft is the first high speed ferry to be built in Britain in over 16 years. The contract to build this latest addition to the Red Funnel fleet was secured locally against significant competition from shipyards around the world.

Speaking at the naming ceremony Kevin George, Red Funnel’s CEO said, “It is only fitting that the naming ceremony took place where she was built in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

“Red Jet 6 represents a £6m investment by Red Funnel in marine manufacturing on the Island and the team at Shemara Refit can be extremely proud of not only building a ship of such high quality but also for delivering it on time and on budget.”

Peter Morton, CEO of Shemara Refit said, “Red Jet 6 represents a number of important firsts and is testament to the world-class skills and dedication of the entire team at Shemara Refit.

“Red Jet 6 is proof that we can build and refit technically advanced fast ferries competitively on the Isle of Wight and I’m confident that she will lead to more orders from operators around the world”.

Shemara efficiency

Red Jet 6 is the most eco-friendly vessel in Red Funnel’s fleet with a host of design features to reduce running costs and protect the environment in line with the company’s ISO 14001 accreditation.

In a break with Red Funnel tradition, the craft is fitted with four main engines rather than two. Each MTU 2000 series diesel powers a MJP 500 waterjet unit. This configuration helps reduce fuel consumption by 11% vs. Red Jet 4 and 30% vs. Red Jet 5, provide high levels of in-service reliability and ensure emissions comply with the IMO Tier II regulations.

Other technical innovations to help reduce fuel consumption include the use of vinyl instead of paint for the superstructure to reduce weight and the application of the latest Teflon hull coatings to minimise drag through the water.

And with the vinyl comes a new livery; designed to stand-out on the water and inspired by the customary wake of a waterjet propelled vessel travelling at high speed through the waves. The new livery will be introduced across the rest of the Red Jet fleet as part of their annual dry-docking cycle.

Red Jet 6 is configured to carry 275 passengers, who will experience a quiet, spacious and well-lit cabin fitted with leather seats and a sophisticated air-handling system designed to dry, cool or warm the air automatically. A new high bandwidth ship-to-shore Wi-Fi system has been specified which will be free for customers and the latest travel information system will be installed to show connecting services for buses, coaches, trains and flights in real-time.

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