https://www.facebook.com/wightlink/videos/10155944238571832/
Wightlink’s new environmentally-friendly ferry ‘Victoria of Wight’ went down the slipway Wednesday at the Cemre shipyard in Yalova, Turkey. The ship will become the company’s flagship on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route.
Construction of the ferry began in November 2016. Workers will complete fitting out work in the next few weeks before the ship travels to home waters. Victoria of Wight will be seen around the Solent this summer as crew are trained to operate her before she enters service.
In addition, this summer, the British ferry operator will embark on a programme to train 11 crews to make the most of the opportunities offered by the hybrid battery technology to reduce noise and emissions before introducing her to the schedule.
The arrival of Victoria of Wight completes the company’s £45million investment programme, which started with works on its current flagship ‘St Clare’ to increase her capacity.
Project Director John Burrows says: “The launch marked a significant milestone for Wightlink in our £45million investment in future services. Our new flagship is now afloat and we look forward to welcoming her to the Solent this summer.”
😀 In case you missed it earlier, it's been a big day for us here at Wightlink. Here's a birds-eye view of our brand new ship Victoria of Wight being launched.
Read more about it ⬇️https://t.co/Qr8IJa7npr pic.twitter.com/jQ3Cn7Tzit
— Wightlink Ferries (@wightlinkferry) February 7, 2018
