One in three staff members at Red Funnel are unable to work or are self-isolating - causing huge disruption and cancellations to ferry crossings between Southampton and the Isle of Wight.
Due to critical crew members being unavailable, Red Funnel has notified passengers that the following scheduled departures are cancelled.
Wednesday July 14 and Thursday July 15, departures from East Cowes:
- 06:30
- 09:30
- 12:30
- 15:30
- 18:30
- 22:30
Wednesday July 14 and Thursday July 15, departures from Southampton:
- 05:00
- 08:00
- 11:00
- 14:00
- 17:00
- 21:00
The final opportunity to depart the Isle of Wight with a vehicle today and tomorrow (Thursday) will be 9pm.
Red Funnel has said that all passengers booked on one of the cancelled sailings have been contacted and asked to review the options for an alternative sailing time. There is no need to pre-book another sailing, but passengers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled sailing and show their original e-ticket upon arrival.
Fran Collins, Chief Executive of Red Funnel, said:
"We recognise that recent disruptions to our service have contributed to delays and cancellations, affecting the community in East Cowes. We sincerely apologise to both passengers and the local community. Red Funnel provides an essential service for many Islanders, and we want to ensure we are open and transparent with our communications to both our customers and the Island community.
"We would like to address the challenges we are currently facing and update you on what action we are taking to provide our customers and the local community with an efficient and reliable service.
"A number of factors are contributing to current service delays. The increase in popularity of staycations this year has resulted in our service becoming busier than normal. During these busy periods, the current Island Road works have put additional pressure on traffic in the area, amplified by the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
"Despite higher levels than normal of recruitment, currently 30% of our staff are unable to work, with many team members being contacted by the NHS Track and Trace system or self-isolating.
"Lower numbers of shore side staff can make loading and unloading a slower process. On board our ferries, we are required by law to have a certain number of critical roles to ensure the safety of passengers. There is also a minimum staff to passenger ratio required by law, meaning if we are unable to fully staff a sailing, we are unable to accept the maximum number of passengers on board.
"As we prepare for the coming weeks, with restrictions lifting and high volumes of passengers anticipated to be travelling, we are working closely with the Isle of Wight Council on a traffic management plan. This includes increased communication to advise passengers not to arrive at the terminal more than 30 minutes prior to departure during busy times to avoid further congestion on the roads. We will also continue to use our text and email notification system to update passengers who have already booked with us.
"The tourism and hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic and as an industry we are working hard to address the staff shortage. We are continuing to increase our seasonal recruitment, taking on more seasonal team members than we did in 2019. We currently have 51 roles available across the business both in Southampton and on the Island, from Customer Advisors and Services Assistants to Deck Hands and Deck Mates.
"We will continue to keep the community updated as we work hard to improve the essential service we know residents rely on during these challenging times, minimising our effect on the Island infrastructure."
Work Begins On ‘Monumental’ Mural Project At Historic Columbine Building
More Acts Added To Isle Of Wight Festival Line-Up
St Mary’s Vaccination Hub Gets Ready For Spring Covid-19 Vaccinations
Twenty Isle Of Wight Pubs Under Threat As Stonegate Issues Profit Warning
Fundraiser Launched As Kezi's Kindness Founder Diagnosed With Incurable Cancer
Bon Voyage — White-Tailed Eagle Soars To France
Goddards Brewery Scoops Four Top Industry Awards At International Competition
Briddlesford Road Crash Results In Two Injured
Isle Of Wight MP Extolls Virtues Of Joint Emergency Service Officers For Isle Of Wight
Island Labour Announces Parliamentary Candidates As Quigley Vows To 'Take Fight' To Bob Seely
Can You Help Police To Identify Man Linked To Waitrose Theft?
Ryde Town Council In Crackdown On Dog Fouling
Former Patient Opens New Intensive Care Unit
Isle Of Wight Primary School Place Allocations Announced For September
The Rules Islanders Need To Know For Police And Crime Commissioner Election Postal Voting
Family Pays Tribute To Paul Hart Following Fatal Newport Collision
Teenager Sentenced For Planning Isle Of Wight Festival Terrorist Attack
Isle Of Wight Gin Company Wins Medal At 2024 London Spirits Competition
Yellow Weather Warning Issued For Isle Of Wight
Police Confirm Bembridge Beach Discovery 'Not Human Remains' Despite Reports To Contrary
